Can't call a class variable from a class from the GUI

I have class type Recipe {_name, _description} and a class type SmithingRecipe {_name, _description, _recipe1, _recipe2} within each SmithingRecipe there are Recipes required to complete it. But when I try to access them from my GUI I get Null Reference for going through the SmithingRecipe to get its _recipe1._name:

Recipe script:

 using UnityEngine;
 using System.Collections;
 
 public class Recipe {
 
     public string _name { get; set; }
     public string _description { get; set; }
     public string _mat1 { get; set; }
     public int _mat1Amount { get; set; }
 
     public Recipe (string name, string description, string material1, int material1Amount) {
         _name = name;
         _description = description;
         _mat1 = material1;
         _mat1Amount = material1Amount;
     }
 
 }

SmithingRecipe script:

 using UnityEngine;
 using System.Collections;
 
 public class SmithingRecipe {
 
     public string _name { get; set; }
     public string _description { get; set; }
     public Recipe _recipe1 { get; set; }
     //public Recipe _recipe2 { get; set; }
     //public Recipe _recipe3 { get; set; }
 
     public SmithingRecipe (string name, string description, Recipe recipe1) {
         _name = name;
         _description = description;
         _recipe1 = recipe1;
         //_recipe2 = null;
         //_recipe3 = null;
     }
 
 }

SmithingRecipes hard code script:

 using UnityEngine;
 using System.Collections;
 
 public static class SmithingRecipes {
     
     //----------------------
     //-----------Recipes----
     //----------------------
     // SmithingRecipe (string name, string description, Recipe recipe1)
 
     public static SmithingRecipe BasicChestPlate = new SmithingRecipe("Basic Chest Plate",
         "The simplest of chest plate armors.",
         SmithingRecipes.MetalPlate);
 
     //----------------------
     //-----------Sub-Recipes
     //----------------------
     // Recipe (string name, string description, string material1, int material1Amount)
 
     public static Recipe MetalPlate = new Recipe("Metal Plate",
         "A flat metal plate used in various applications",
         "MetalLump", 2);
 }

GUI script condensed:

 using UnityEngine;
 using System.Collections;
 
 public class SmithingRecipesGUI : MonoBehaviour {
     
     void OnGUI () {
         if (windowRecipesOpen){ GUI.Window(4, new Rect(Screen.width /10, Screen.height / 10, _80w, _80h), showRecipes, "Blacksmithing Recipes", basicWindow); }
     }
 
     public void showRecipes(int windowID){
         //window is 80% x 80%
         GUI.Box (new Rect(5,5,_80w / 3, _80h - 20), "Recipes:");
         if (GUI.Button(new Rect(10,40,(_80w / 3) - 20,30), "Basic Chest Plate")) {
             //_currentRecipe = SmithingRecipes.BasicChestPlate;
         }
         GUI.Box (new Rect(_80w / 3 + 10,5,(_80w / 3) * 2 - 20, _80h - 20), "");
         GUI.Label (new Rect(_80w / 3 + 20,15,(_80w / 3) * 2 - 20, 20), SmithingRecipes.MetalPlate._name);
         GUI.Label (new Rect(_80w / 3 + 20,40,(_80w / 3) * 2 - 20, 40), SmithingRecipes.MetalPlate._description);
         GUI.Label (new Rect(_80w / 3 + 20,80,100,20), SmithingRecipes.BasicChestPlate._recipe1._mat1);
         GUI.Label (new Rect(_80w / 3 + 120,80,30,20), SmithingRecipes.BasicChestPlate._recipe1._mat1Amount.ToString());
         if (GUI.Button(new Rect(_80w - 100,100,80,40), "Craft!")) {
             //start
             //_currentRecipe = SmithingRecipes.BasicChestPlate;
         }
     }
     //GUI.DragWindow(); //not working
     }
 }

the line where the BasicChestPlate._name is called comes out fine, but when I try to go through that and call BasicChestPlate._recipe1._name I get a null reference exception: NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object SmithingRecipesGUI.showRecipes (Int32 windowID) (at Assets/Scripts/SmithingRecipesGUI.cs:48) UnityEngine.GUI.CallWindowDelegate (UnityEngine.WindowFunction func, Int32 id, UnityEngine.GUISkin _skin, Int32 forceRect, Single width, Single height, UnityEngine.GUIStyle style) (at C:/BuildAgent/work/d63dfc6385190b60/artifacts/EditorGenerated/GUI.cs:1408)

I'm confused why when the MetalPlate recipe is statically hard coded it cannot be accessed in this manner? I was hoping to be able to set up automatic functions this way but just calling AvailableSmithingRecipe1._recipe1._name etc for when the recipe book gets full of different kinds of recipes.

Thanks for any insight.