Despite my love of meat and potatoes, I never
had Shepherd's Pie until I went to Ireland in 2009. (I mean, if you're
gonna do it, go all out, right?) Oh, it was such a revelation. Meat
and vegetables in a thick gravy smothered in mashed potatoes. Um, yes.
YES, PLEASE!! I don't know if traditional versions of this dish
were actually cooked in pie shells (Can you imagine adding a flaky crust to
this?!? Drool!!!) but the “pie” I had in Ireland was more like a
casserole. That particular serving came in its own single serving ceramic
baking dish. The mashed potatoes were crispy on the top but creamy
underneath and the meat filling was meaty and juicy and FANTASTIC!
I made a trial run of this for
my boyfriend a few weeks ago, and we both liked it so much, I decided it
deserved a repeat performance and blog post. My parents were the happy
recipients of this go-round. Everyone had two servings. This is
really easy and so hearty and delicious.
Shepherd's Pie
For the potato topping:
For the potato topping:
1.5-2
pounds russet potatoes
1/4 cup half-and-half
4 T butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (I had a three-cheese blend on hand)
1 egg yolk
Salt and pepper to taste
For the
meat and veg:
2 T extra
virgin olive or coconut oil
1 cup diced onion
3 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced or 2 t minced jarred garlic
1.5-2 pounds red meat of choice (I used 1lb lamb and 1/2lb
venison)
2 T all-purpose flour
2 t tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 t Worcestershire sauce
2 t fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
1 t fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch dice.
Place in a pot and cover with cold water, lightly salted. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
(Start meat and veg prep now!) Once boiling, uncover, decrease the
heat to medium and cook until you can pierce the potatoes with a fork,
approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then
return to the pot. Place the half-and-half and butter in a microwave-safe
container and heat in the microwave until butter is mostly melted, about 35
seconds. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until you've reached
desired creaminess and then add the half and half and butter and stir to
combine.
Taste for seasoning, and then add salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese and egg yolk stirring to combine.
Taste for seasoning, and then add salt and pepper, Parmesan cheese and egg yolk stirring to combine.
Preheat the oven to 400
degrees.
While the potatoes are cooking,
prepare the meat and veg. In a large sauté pan, heat your oil of choice
over medium high heat.
When the oil is hot (drop a piece of veg in it... it should sizzle), add the onion and carrots and sauté just until they begin to wilt and take on color, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine.
Add the meat, salt and pepper to taste and cook until mostly browned and cooked through, approximately 3-5 minutes. (The meat will have further opportunity to cook so if there's still some pink left, it's OK.)
Sprinkle the meat with the flour and stir to coat, continuing to cook for another minute or so. Make sure all of the flour is absorbed.
Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened. Remove meat and veg mix from the heat and add the corn and peas. Stir to combine.
Spread meat and veg evenly into an 11x7-inch glass (or stoneware) baking dish (or slightly bigger if you have it).
Dollop mashed potatoes on top.
Using the back of a spoon, start smooshing the potatoes around the edges of the baking dish to create a seal to prevent the meat/veg from bubbling over and then smooth out the remainder.
Just for cleanliness' sake, place the baking dish on a baking sheet (foil or parchment lined if you like) and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Let your casserole cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
When the oil is hot (drop a piece of veg in it... it should sizzle), add the onion and carrots and sauté just until they begin to wilt and take on color, approximately 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine.
Add the meat, salt and pepper to taste and cook until mostly browned and cooked through, approximately 3-5 minutes. (The meat will have further opportunity to cook so if there's still some pink left, it's OK.)
Sprinkle the meat with the flour and stir to coat, continuing to cook for another minute or so. Make sure all of the flour is absorbed.
Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened. Remove meat and veg mix from the heat and add the corn and peas. Stir to combine.
Spread meat and veg evenly into an 11x7-inch glass (or stoneware) baking dish (or slightly bigger if you have it).
Dollop mashed potatoes on top.
Using the back of a spoon, start smooshing the potatoes around the edges of the baking dish to create a seal to prevent the meat/veg from bubbling over and then smooth out the remainder.
Just for cleanliness' sake, place the baking dish on a baking sheet (foil or parchment lined if you like) and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Let your casserole cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
When you do dig in to this dish, might I ask for
a moment of silence? Breaking through the potato crust makes such a
fantastic sound. It deserves to be observed. :o)
