Try Shepherd’S Pie From The Sea
In my years of cooking, I’ve learned how to make exactly two kinds of things with canned tuna.
One is a tuna sandwich, actually the best in the entire world (my secret: sweet pickle relish and a dash of Tabasco). And the other is tuna-noodle casserole (my secret: don’t buy Tuna Helper, but take the time to make it from scratch).
So I’m really, truly excited about today’s recipe, because it’s a third use for tuna: a tuna-potato pie.
This dish is a bit like shepherd’s pie - a layer of meat filling (in this case, tuna filling) topped with mashed potatoes (in this case, instant mashed potatoes). There’s corn, too, so the veggie bases are covered pretty well.
The result is hearty, filling and low in fat, even with eggs and cheese among the ingredients.
As for the taste: My 5-year-old daughter thought it was OK, partly because she got to sprinkle the cheese on top. My 3-year-old daughter thought it was marginal, except for the cheese on top. My wife (who preferred not to have her age listed) thought it was stupid and hated it.
I liked it pretty well, especially reheated in the microwave at noon the next day and topped with ketchup. After all, it’s still more interesting than the other lunch alternative: a tuna sandwich.
Savory Potato-Tuna Pie
From the Yoplait yogurt people.
2 cans (6 ounces each) tuna in water, drained and 3 tablespoons liquid reserved.
cup mashed potato mix (dry)
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
teaspoon celery salt
teaspoon pepper
2 eggs
1 can (17 ounces) cream-style corn
cup water
1 cups mashed potato mix (dry)
1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt
1 tablespoon freeze-dried chives
teaspoon celery salt
teaspoon dill seed
2 eggs, beaten
cup shredded Cheddar cheese (2 ounces)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease pie plate, 9x1 inches. Mix tuna, reserved tuna liquid, cup of the potato mix, the onion, celery salt, pepper and eggs.
Press tuna mixture against bottom, up side and onto rim of pie plate. Heat corn and water to boiling in 2-quart saucepan; remove from heat. Stir in remaining ingredients, including the remaining potato mix, except for the cheese. Pour into crust.
Bake 20 minutes; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.
Yield: 6 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 320 calories, 27 grams protein, 32 grams carbohydrate, 9 grams fat (25 percent fat calories), 160 milligrams cholesterol, 670 milligrams sodium.
This column emphasizes everyday, economical, easy-to-cook meals that are low in fat. All recipes are tested in a home kitchen and use ingredients readily available in the Spokane area, unless mentioned otherwise.