Shepherd’s Pie For The Trail « Trail Cooking & The Outdoors

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Shepherd’s Pie For The Trail

March 22, 2009 by Sarah

A big thanks to Diana for this recipe. I get asked quite often about making Shepherd’s Pie and whether or not it would work FBC style – and her recipe does!

Her recipe requires a little work at home but is great for learning how to dehydrate food.

Shepherd’s Pie

2 lbs lean ground beef, bison or venison
8-ounces (half a bag) of frozen mixed veggies (used small cut)
2/3 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Salt or seasoned salt, pepper, and dried onion flakes to taste

You will also need:

2 pouches of “just add water” instant potatoes (I use Betty Crocker roasted garlic) (The Idahoan brand can be used as well)
Directions for the at home prep:

Brown ground meat, then drain any remaining fat. Mix in veggies, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings, then put into a casserole dish. Bake covered on 350° for about 25 minutes.

Spoon the “pie filling” into the dehydrator trays lined with parchment paper. It usually takes about 12 – 16 hrs to fully dehydrate (dry at your meat setting, usually 145*). You’ll have to check it about halfway through and maybe mix things around a little so they dry evenly. It seems like the green beans take the longest.

Once the meat mixture is dried and cooled, separate into 1 cup servings and pack in quart freezer bags. This rehydrates at about a 1:1 ratio.

In a second quart freezer bag, add 1/2 cup of instant potatoes.

In camp:
Add 1 cup of near boiling water to the meat mixture. Seal tightly and let “cook” in a freezer bag cozy for about 15 minutes or until meat is tender. Pour potato flakes over the meat mixture, then add an additional 1/2 cup of water (less if you have water left over that wasn’t absorbed by the meat). Stir and enjoy! (Or you can prepare the potatoes in the second bag and then top the sauce with them.)

Note: Don’t package the meat mixture and potatoes together! The potatoes will magically absorb most of the water and you’ll end up with soupy potatoes and crunchy meat…

Enjoy,
Diana (of the Dunes)

Thank you Diana! And of course this recipe can be prepared either FBC style, using an insulated mug or done in your pot. All up to you – this sounds delicious!

~Sarah

Posted in Dehydrating, Freezer Bag Cooking, hiking, Insulated mug method, One Pot Meals, Trail Cooking | Tagged backcountry cooking, backcountry food, backpacking, backpacking recipes, Cozies, dayhiking, Dehydrating, FBC, FBC Cozies, FBC Hybrid meals, FBC meals, Food Finds, Freezer Bag Cooking, hiker food, insulated mug meals, Insulated mug method, One Pot Meals, Trail Cooking, trail food, trail lunches, trail meals, trail recipes, wilderness cooking | 3 Comments

3 Responses

on March 23, 2009 at 2:44 pm Jarod Fleming

Hi SARBAR. How many does this recipe feed?
on March 23, 2009 at 5:54 pm admin

I will have to ask her on that one! It would depend of course on appetite and if one ate any before dehydrating it Usually though you can expect 4 servings out of a lb of ground beef. So maybe 8 1 cup servings? Double if you like to eat a lot!
Sarah
on August 7, 2009 at 4:58 am Diana of the Dunes

I never actually figured out how many servings it makes or people it will feed because this is something will make to eat at home (except with real mashed potatoes), then dehydrate the leftovers. I’d say that 8 1-cup servings is probably about right. Once the potatoes are added, it pretty much fills my 2 quart casserole dish.