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.
It's a definition for comfort food; that's what this is.
When I was living in Midland, Texas during the early 1980's, a co-worker passed her CPP recipe on to me. The original recipe had more vegetables, like mushrooms and corn kernels, but this was tailor-made to Lovey's liking; and it hasn't changed since. Oh, I've tried to slip things in that I thought would make it even more superb, but Lovey always called me out on it. So, this is Lovey's chicken pot pie.
Begin by cooking your chicken. This will also be the beginning of your broth that will become the base for your sauce.
I use 3 or 4 large chicken breast halves. You can use whatever pieces you prefer. Thighs will actually produce a broth that is a little more flavorful but, as I've said, this is Lovey's pot pie and white meat he'll get.
Make your broth with carrots, celery with leaves, an onion, bay leaf, garlic cloves, thyme and whatever else you might have in your vegetable bin that would add a depth of flavor to your broth.
Cover with water and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam then sprinkle some poultry seasoning over the top. Add a Tablespoon of salt, cover, reduce the heat and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking chop the onion, carrots, and potatoes
When the chicken is done remove from broth and allow to cool. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Pour the stock back into the pan and bring to a boil. Add the chopped onion, carrots and potatoes and boil for about 3 to 4 minutes. You don't want them (especially the potatoes) to cook through and be mushy; they'll finish cooking in the oven.
With a large slotted spoon remove the vegetables from the broth and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Return the broth to the stove top and bring to a boil. Reduce broth to 1 cup and reserve in a measuring cup. It will be so nice and rich.
Bone the chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Add the chicken to the large mixing bowl with the vegetables.
Rinse the frozen peas and add them to the mixture in the large mixing bowl.
In the pot you reduced the broth in, melt butter and add flour to make a roux. Cook for one minute.
Add the reduced broth and whisk. Slowly add the half & half and stir until it begins to thicken. Toss in some chopped fresh parsley. Now taste your sauce to see if you want to add salt and pepper.
Gently fold the sauce in with the vegetable / chicken mixture.
Roll out bottom pastry and place in the pie plate.
Pour the filling into the pie plate and mound up towards the center.
Roll out top crust and place over filling and crimp the edges. Cut an air vent in the middle of the crust. I make a 'K' for our last name. How cute.
Bake for 30 - 45 minutes until the filling is hot and bubbly (you'll see it bubbling through the vent hole) and the crust is nice and brown.
After removing from oven allow the pie to rest for 10 - 15 minutes.
Serve a crisp green salad.
Chicken Pot Pie
Serves 6
Ingredients:
for crust:
Use your preferred recipe for a 2 crust pie
crust or use the refrigerated crust that you simply unroll.
for chicken & broth:
3 - 4 large bone-in chicken breast halves
1 carrot, scrubbed and halved
1 yellow onion, washed & halved (skin left on)
1 celery stalk halved, preferably with the leaves
5 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
1 large bay leaf
1 small bundle fresh thyme sprigs (tied in a bundle)
2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 Tbsp. salt
for the filling & sauce:
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" slices
1 large onion, chopped into 1/2" pieces
1 - 10 ounce package/box of frozen peas
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup half and half
hand full of chopped fresh parsley
salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp milk
Method:
Roll out 1 pie crust and place in a 9" deep dish pie plate. Put in refrigerator to chill.
Place chicken, carrot, onion, celery and garlic cloves in a 5-1/2 quart Dutch Oven. NOTE: you can add any other vegetables you want that will contribute to your broth. \Cover with water. Bring to boil. Skim off any foam. Turn heat down to a simmer and season with the poultry seasoning. Allow chicken to simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is done (about 20 minutes).
While chicken is cooking prepare the potato, carrot and onion and set aside in a mixing bowl.
When chicken is done, remove the breasts and vegetables from broth with a large slotted spoon leaving broth in pot. Throw vegetable solids away (unless you want to munch on them; especially the garlic, yum!) and set the breasts off to the side to cool. Strain the broth and return to the pot. Bring to a boil and add the bowl of cut up vegetables you had set aside. Bring to a simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes. With a large slotted spoon remove the vegetables from the broth and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Return pot with the broth to the burner and turn to high. Boil until the broth is reduced to 1 cup. Strain into a measuring cup and set aside
While broth is reducing & chicken has cooled de-bone and cut into bite-size pieces. Add the chicken to the bowl with the vegetables.
In a colander, rinse the frozen peas and add to the vegetable/chicken mixture. NOTE: At this time you can add other things that you might like such as fresh mushrooms, frozen corn, etc.). Gently fold all of your vegetables and meat together.
In the same pot you have been using, melt the butter or medium heat. Add the flour and whisk together to make a roux. Whisking, allow to cook for a minute to remove the flour-y taste. slowly add the broth and whisk until smooth. Add the half and half and stir until slightly thickened. Add the parsley and taste. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to slightly cool off.
Pour the sauce over the vegetables & chicken. Gently fold until everything is thoroughly coated.
Remove pie plate from refrigerator and pour the filling into the bottom crust and mound in the center (if you do have filling that won't fit, just put it in small single-serving ramekins to freeze for the future.
Roll out the top crust and drape over the filling. Fold edges under the edges of the bottom crust and crimp all around. Cut slits in the center of the pie crust for venting. With a pastry brush, brush the top crust with a light coat of milk. Place in refrigerator for about 10 minutes for the top crust to chill a bit.
Preheat oven to 425°. Place pie plate on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes, turn the heat down to 350° and bake until the crust is a nice golden brown (anywhere from 30 - 45 minutes).
Allow pie to cool on a cooling rack for 10 - 15 minutes before cutting.
Serve with the tossed green salad.
