Often I look back at old menus and try to find things to make. This time I asked Andy for suggestions - often his suggestions are based on meat in the freezer "something with ground beef, pork chops, chicken." So - kinda helpful - but mostly not. This time? He said "Shepard's Pie." Wait - what?! A real answer? Something I've never made or eaten? Ok! I was then on the hunt for a recipe. Shepherd's Pie is actually made with ground lamb and Cottage Pie is with ground beef... but we are going to call it Shepherd's Pie. I found a recipe - he approved - go go.
I decided to make the dish on a Sunday for the following Wednesday - I do love a make ahead dish. Plus this one was a little complicated - so many steps. Maybe a lot of steps - nothing was actually difficult. I used my chopper to chop the veg which made things really easy. I had Andy taste the parts and he approved. He even cut some chives from our sprouting garden for the top after it baked.
Dinner that night - easy peasy... toss it in the oven and bake, top with chives. It smelled great but I was worried. I told my coworkers that was for dinner and WOW did I get a reaction from one of the guys. He hates anything tomato based and told me how much he hated Shepherd's Pie. How he would get takeout food that night if his mom made it... Ugh! So I took a tiny spoonful. It was good!! Not too tomatoey. The kids liked it, Andy had 4 servings and asked if I could somehow make this a freezer meal, why YES I sure can! So... I texted a picture to that coworker... nah, he still wasn't sold. I love spending the time and making a meal that my family actually likes and asks for again. Enjoy this one!
Shepherd's Pie
1 tablespoon oil
1 pound ground beef
1 clove garlic chopped
2 onions finely chopped
2 medium carrots finely diced
2 stalks celery finely diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground paprika
ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons white flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup red wine
1 cup beef broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped thyme
1 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary
4 cups mashed potatoes (click for my recipe and you’ll have some leftovers to sneak during cooking)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Brown meat and vegetables: Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, deep skillet. Add the beef and cook until browned and all the meat juices have evaporated. Add the garlic, onions, carrots and celery and continue cooking until the veggies are starting to soften.
Season: Sprinkle the salt, paprika, pepper and flour over the pan. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring all the time, until it smells roasted (about 1 minute).
Deglaze the pan: Pour the red wine over the meat and veggies, scratching the browned bits off the bottom. Bring to a boil and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the broth and simmer for 4-5 minutes, or until a thick gravy has formed.
Finish the filling: Stir in the peas and herbs. Check for seasoning, then spread in a 7×11 baking dish and set aside until completely cold.
Prep mash: In the meantime, make your favorite mashed potatoes. You need about 4 cups of mash to top off the casserole. About 1.5 pounds of peeled potatoes should yield enough.
Bake pie: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Spread the mashed potatoes over the cold filling. (Be careful not to mix up the two.) Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes or until golden.
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