Shepherd’s Pie

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Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s Pie is an English dish that combines leftover meat (Historically Lamb) and mashed potatoes in a casserole form. While it has many versions around the world, the one I am familiar with is a traditional North American variation that combines seasoned ground beef, corn and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients:

3 large russet potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, small dice
1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef
Salt and Naughty Nelly's Deadly Twelve Pepper Blend or a few cranks of the peppermill
Beef broth
1-1/2 cups canned shoe peg corn, drained
1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Scrub the potatoes and peel them. Cut the peeled potatoes into uniform pieces about one inch cubed and rinse in cold running water. Place the cubed potatoes into a pot with the salt and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter for two minutes, then add the ground beef. Cook the ground beef, stirring with a wooden spoon until it has lost all redness. Season with salt and pepper and add a half cup or so of beef broth to keep it moist and flavorful.

Place the meat and onion mixture into a 2 quart casserole dish and top with an even layer of the shoe peg corn.

Drain the cooked potatoes in a colander and return them to the pan and continue to cook on the stove over low heat for an additional 2 minutes to remove any excess moisture. Process the potatoes in a potato ricer or by hand, incorporating the warm cream and butter. Season with salt and Naughty Nelly's Deadly Twelve Pepper Blend.

Top the meat and corn with an even layer of the mashed potatoes and make some squiggly lines on the surface with a fork. Then brush the surface with the beaten egg yolk to produce a nice color and add flavor. (Optionally, you can dust the surface with some fresh grated Parmesan)

Bake for 30 minutes until top of the casserole is golden brown and the contents a bit bubbly. Allow to sit for a couple of minutes before serving.

CHEF’S NOTES: This dish can be made with a number of meats or vegetables. Lamb can be substituted or carrots and peas could be used. Many English versions of this recipe used Worcestershire Sauce to flavor the meat. When lamb is used in many countries, the dish is called Cottage Pie.

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