Starting the year with a Shepherd's Pie...why? Because the holidays are over but not the leftovers.
Shepherd's pie is a savory pie made of minced meat, chopped vegetables topped with mashed potatoes...probably the most clever way to repurpose leftovers. Technically not a pie but a casserole covered with mashed potatoes, shepherd's pie is the perfect winter comfort dish.
Shepherd's pie has it's roots dating back 1700's in Scotland. Known as "cottage-pye" then and served with pastry crust. Eventually the dish, delicious as it is was adapted in Ireland as well as in UK. The union of UK and England which started in the 13th century and lasted for about 800 years, paved the way to strong culinary influence between the two countries. Potato farming was introduce to Ireland and gained popular acceptance since it was easy to grow and most importantly a great low-cost sustenance. It was sometime 18th century then that the mashed potato crust came to be. Housewives would repurpose the leftover pot roast or stew and cover it with mashed potatoes to make this comfort dish. Originally made with mutton (hence the etymology of it's name), but thereby being a vehicle of leftovers, eventually different types of meat and a mixture thereof became acceptable. The modern day shepherd's pie uses ground beef but think how goooood...chunks of beef or lamb simmered for hours would taste underneath a blanket of creamy mashed potatoes? Who wouldn't love Shepherd's pie? You have your protein, carbs and vegetables in one dish.
I have tried making this with 50/50 ground lamb/ground beef and full on ground beef. The verdict? The grown ups love the former, the kids love the latter. Try and experiment which one your family will love. If you want to stay true to essence of how this dish came to be. Go and rummage your refrigerator and pantry. The leftover turkey, beef or what have you. Throw all of this in with the odds and ends of vegetables and spices to a stew! I have yet to try this recipe repurposing my leftovers instead of using fresh ground meat. Imagine chunks of beef...deeply meaty, fork tender and juicy -Oh! that would truly be the ultimate foodgasm!
CRUST
Ingredients:
6 Pcs. Potatoes (Yukon Gold makes the creamiest mashed potatoes)
1/2 Cup Whole Milk (Add more to thin to preferred consistency)
1/2 cup Olive Oil (or 1 stick of butter if preferred)
To Taste Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Tbsp. Thyme (or any herb of choice)
Directions:
Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters
Boil to cook in a pot. Strain, mash well and season with all the other ingredients until velvety smooth. Set aside.
FILLING
Ingredients:
1 /2 stick Butter (salted)
4 to 5 Strips Bacon (Fried and Crumpled)
1/2 Bulb Garlic (minced)
2 Pc. Yellow Onions (diced)
1 Cup Tomato (diced) or tomato sauce
1 Shot Irish whisky (I used Jameson)
2 Lbs. Ground Beef (or meat of choice)
1 cup Carrots (diced)
1 cup Green Peas
1/2 cup Celery (diced)
1 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika
1 Cup Chicken Broth (2 tbsp. of flour dissolved in)
As Needed Olive Oil
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
To Taste Salt and Pepper
Herbs Thyme, Oregano, Rosemary (Or your herb of choice)
Directions:
Drizzle olive oil to lightly coat the skillet and crisp the bacon to render fat. Remove the bacon, crumple to bits and set aside. On the same pan sauté the ground beef to medium rare. Skim the beef and add to the bacon, season with salt and pepper and set aside
Using the same skillet add in the butter to melt and sauté the garlic to brown. Followed by the onions, tomato, whisky and paprika. Simmer for 5 minutes on low and in the carrots, green peas, celery, Worcestershire sauce and the chicken broth with flour. Stir until the mixture thickens. Add back the ground beef and bacon to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and herbs.
Remove the skillet from the heat and top with mashed potatoes. Using a spatula, carefully smooth out to completely cover the filling. Drizzle olive oil on top and bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 30 minutes or bubbly. Broil on high for 3 min. or less to achieve a golden crust. Remove from the oven to rest, garnish and serve hot.
Digestif:
The 3 C's I love about this whisky: Custardy, creamy and citrusy.
Drumshanbo Single Pot Irish Whisky
43 ABV
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