Shepherds Pie High Class Shepherds Pie (Pinterest) Recipe
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Category: |
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Ingredients: |
Ingredients: Meat layer:
1 - 1.5 lb lean ground beef
1 cup diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
3-4 large carrots, finely diced
1 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 cup beef stock
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup frozen peas
Potato Layer:
1 1/2 lbs russet potatoes
2 tbsp butter
1/2 - 1 cup half-and-half
1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 - 1 tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder
about 1 cup Vermont white cheddar cheese
fresh thyme leaves
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Directions: |
Directions:Prep all the veggies by chopping carrots, onion & garlic. Peel, cut and get the potatoes on to boil in some generously salted water. You want the potatoes to boil until fork tender, about 10-12 minutes, not mushy, then drain them.
Brown the ground beef in a skillet, breaking it up into small pieces. When it's about halfway cooked through, add the chopped onions. Cook them down for several minutes until they are soft and translucent; then add the garlic.
Once meat is cooked through add salt and pepper. Add in the chopped carrots next (adding them after the meat is cooked so they don't get cooked down to mush - you want them to retain their shape and some texture). Next add in the wine, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, thyme, broth and flour. Bring the sauce up to a boil so the flour will do its job as a thickener, then down to a simmer for a few minutes - we want it to be wonderfully saucy but not runny so when it reaches the "saucy" point, turn off the heat.
In a small saucepan, melt your butter and brown it slightly. Browned butter tastes really nutty and wonderful and completely different than plain butter so its important not to skip this step - be careful though - you can go from great to burned quickly! Once the butter is slightly browned, add the half-and-half. Bring this mixture up to a simmer (basically just want to get it nice and warm before we add it to the potatoes). Add the hot cream to the potatoes and give a nice stir by hand and season them with salt, pepper and garlic powder. If you have a ricer this a great time to use it - makes them really light and fluffy! At the last minute, add the frozen baby sweet peas to the meat mixture and stir gently - you do not want to cook them ahead of time or they will get all starchy and mushy. The heat from the meat and cooking them in the oven will be plenty of heat.
Heat oven to 400º and begin to build your masterpiece! Add the meat mixture into the bottom of your cooking dish, casserole, baker or whatever you're using. Add potaotes, using a dessert decorator, piping bag or even a baggie will make a really pretty top layer - the little ridges get sort of brown and crusty. Add a little thyme or chives to the top of the potatoes then bake for about 30 minutes. In the last 15 minutes of cooking add the cheese. |
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Personal
Notes: |
Personal
Notes: Shepherd's pie has gotten a bad rap! Well you know what? Done right, it can definitely be a thing of beauty. Stay with me here...a well seasoned layer of thick saucy meat, beautiful al dente carrots and baby peas (not mushy veggies!), a layer of fluffy brown butter mashed potatoes with a sprinkling of white cheddar and some fresh thyme. Oh yeah! Also a great representation from all the food groups, and a great way to stretch a budget!
Shepherd's pie is a traditional dish with a meat base and a mashed potato topping. The Irish made it with ground lamb, hence the name. Where I live, ground beef is much easier to come by; but if you prefer lamb, however, go for it. Another great thing about this is that you can assemble it on the weekend and pop in the oven on a busy week night. My husband, who had definite opinions on how it did and did not need to be made, reported that it was the best he had ever had. So keep and open mind and try it!
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