LJ 100 Things - 10 - Shepherd's Pie
Recipe 10: Shepherd's Pie
Another recipe from my ever-faithful Joy of Cooking (1997 edition, p. 718-719). It says it makes 4 servings, but its not uncommon for the entire dish to be finished off in one night, mostly between Dreamcherry and I. (Steve doesn’t care for it.)
Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered (sometimes I don’t peel them and dice them small instead)
1 tbsp butter
Salt and ground pepper to taste
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
(^Rather than chop these by hand, I just put them all in the food processor and use it to chop them fine.)
1 pound leftover cooked ground beef, or raw ground beef (actual recipe calls for lamb. Lamb is expensive. I use lean or extra lean ground beef.)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beef or vegetable stock
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt and ground black pepper to taste (leftover meat may not need seasoning)
2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
Equipment:
Large pot
Skillet
Knife
Vegetable peeler
Measuring spoons
Food processor
9 inch pie plate or baking dish
Instructions:
Place potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher, adding the cooking water along with 1 tbsp butter, and salt and pepper. Beat with a wooden spoon until fluffy.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add the meat.
Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to brown evenly. If using raw meat, cook for 10 minutes more, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Spoon off any fat.
Add flour and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add stock, herbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove to pie plate or baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top, making irregular peaks with the tines of a fork. Scatter cold butter over the top.
Bake until potatoes are browned, and the dish is heated all the way through, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve directly from the baking dish.
Another recipe from my ever-faithful Joy of Cooking (1997 edition, p. 718-719). It says it makes 4 servings, but its not uncommon for the entire dish to be finished off in one night, mostly between Dreamcherry and I. (Steve doesn’t care for it.)
Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and quartered (sometimes I don’t peel them and dice them small instead)
1 tbsp butter
Salt and ground pepper to taste
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
(^Rather than chop these by hand, I just put them all in the food processor and use it to chop them fine.)
1 pound leftover cooked ground beef, or raw ground beef (actual recipe calls for lamb. Lamb is expensive. I use lean or extra lean ground beef.)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beef or vegetable stock
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Salt and ground black pepper to taste (leftover meat may not need seasoning)
2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces
Equipment:
Large pot
Skillet
Knife
Vegetable peeler
Measuring spoons
Food processor
9 inch pie plate or baking dish
Instructions:
Place potatoes in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
Mash the potatoes with a fork or potato masher, adding the cooking water along with 1 tbsp butter, and salt and pepper. Beat with a wooden spoon until fluffy.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
While the potatoes are cooking, heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and add the meat.
Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring to brown evenly. If using raw meat, cook for 10 minutes more, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Spoon off any fat.
Add flour and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add stock, herbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove to pie plate or baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top, making irregular peaks with the tines of a fork. Scatter cold butter over the top.
Bake until potatoes are browned, and the dish is heated all the way through, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve directly from the baking dish.