Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is a dish I make more often in the winter months. Night before last we had a wonderful rain storm and it really cooled us down; almost like Autumn. Good night to make this one more time before the 100° + temperatures return and stick around for a couple of months. Classically made with lamb (and what I prefer), the version in our household is made with a lean ground sirloin or ground bison.  Lovey prefers it that way.




It's full of all sorts of wonderful produce.  Instead of the potatoes being a part of the filling they become the topping, or crust, of the pie.

There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe but it is a simple one to put together.  A word on the red wine. Don't use a super expensive wine yet don't use one you would mistake for vinegar. 

If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area Burgundy Pasture Beef is a great option for your meats. In Midland I use Midland Meat Company. Seek out a local grass-fed beef source in your area.  It will be well worth the $$$$$$.

Prepare the mashed potatoes for the topping and set aside while you prepare the filling. Put on a pot of water with a Tablespoon of salt to boil.  Peel and chop the potatoes into 1/2" cubes. 

 While the potatoes are cooking gather together the rest of the ingredients you will need for the potatoes.  The mashed potatoes are a little different for this dish than the fluffy, buttery ones I make to eat with, say, fried chicken.  These need to have a little more substance so they stand up nicely on top of the meat mixture.  The egg yolks lend to this, as well as the half and half.  Note in the photo there are two egg yolks. Normally, I use one but the yolks that were coming out of the eggs I had on hand were so tiny!

Whip them up and set them aside until you are ready to spread on top of the pie.




Prepare the rest of your ingredients and have them ready to go.  Here is how I remove the corn kernels off the cob. When you are prepping all of your ingredients for the filling, rinse the frozen peas and combine with the corn and hold in the refrigerator until they are ready to be added.



 
Sauté the onion, carrots and garlic. Add the ground beef and cook until it is browned then
sprinkle flour over the meat mixture and mix to coat

 
After the flour has cooked for a minute, add the stock, wine, Worcestershire and the herbs and  bring to a boil.


 
Cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens. If you don't have a lid large enough for your skillet, use a cookie sheet like I did


 
Fold in the corn and peas 


 
and pour into a 2 to 3 quart baking dish



Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture.  Make a good seal between the potatoes and the sides of the casserole dish



With a fork make a decorative pattern in the potatoes.



 
I normally make this wavy pattern.  The ridges will brown nicely. Bake in a 400° oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

This is another pattern

 

A great one-dish meal.  We add a small dinner salad on the side.


Shepherd's Pie
Adapted from Alton Brown
Serves 8

Ingredients:
potatoes--
2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 Tbsp. Kosher salt
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cups Half-and-Half
1 egg yolk
filling--
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground sirloin or bison
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup beef stock
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce 
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
2 ears fresh corn on the cob, kernels removed
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsps. ground black pepper
1 tsp. Kosher salt

Method:
Potato Crust:
In a medium saucepan bring water (enough to cover the potatoes) to a rolling boil.  Add salt to water and add the potatoes. Return to a boil then turn down to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain and transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl. Throw in the butter and slowly begin to dry whip potatoes. Add the half & half and whip until smooth and creamy. Add the egg yolk and mix until incorporated. Set potatoes aside.

 Filling:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat the canola oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté for several minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the ground meat and cook until browned and broken up, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the meat mixture with flour and mix to coat; continue to cook for 1 more minute. Add the broth, red wine, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer slowly for 10 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Season with the salt and pepper, to taste (you may not need any salt depending on how salty you make your potatoes).

Fold the corn and peas into the meat mixture and spread evenly into a 2 to 3 quart glass baking dish. Using an offset spatula, spread the mashed potatoes, creating a seal around the edges to prevent the mixture from bubbling up. Smooth top then make a decorative pattern in the potatoes with a fork.

Place on a baking sheet in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until potato crust it golden. If you need you can the broiler in the last  minutes to brown the potatoes more. Remove to a rack and rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.