Shepherd's Pie

 

Step One:  Season Ground Lamb with Kosher Salt and Pepper

Brown the Ground Lamb in in heavy pan or Dutch Oven

Remove Browned Lamb with a slotted spoon and then pour off fat

leaving just a small amount and browned bits in the pan.

Step 2:  Add diced yellow onion to the lamb drippings.

Add a little olive oil if necessary and a pinch of salt.

Sauté until soft and translucent.  About 5-7 minutes.

Step 3:  Add nice big pieces of carrots and cook for a minute.

Then add tomato paste and cook for two minutes until the tomato 

paste caramelized a little bit.

Step 4:  I don't have a photo but add Red Wine and cook for one minute

Add Flour, Beef Broth and Worcestershire Sauce

Step 5:  Add fresh or frozen sweet peas, fresh parsley and fresh thyme

 

Fresh Thyme

Flat Leaf Parsley before it is minced

Step 5:  Add Mashed Potatoes until the top is covered

Then make indentions with the back of a spoon on top of the potatoes

and brush with melted butter

Step 6:  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and browned on top.

Let sit for 10 minutes before serving

I realize it is the end of July and that Shepherd's Pie is a dish that you probably think of for Fall or Winter.  But we had leftover Mashed Potatoes and we had ground lamb in the freezer (I always ground lamb in the freezer because I love to make Lamb Meatballs with Yogurt Mint Sauce.)  So the first thing that came to mind was Shepherd's Pie.  Supposedly if you make Shepherd's Pie with Ground Beef it is called Cottage Pie.  I really don't care what you call it, I love it both ways and think both are delicious so make it however you like it.  And even though it is July I think comfort food may always be in season.

We have been on a Cognac spree ever since we made a mushroom cream sauce for chicken that had Cognac so we did put Cognac in this dish but it isn't essential.  If you happen to have some throw it in and skip it if you don't.

Also we are going to retest the recipe adding mushrooms because we both love mushrooms.  When we do it I will edit this post but we plan to quarter cremini mushrooms, sauté them in a little butter and then added them to the meat mixture right at the end when you add the peas.

Also be sure to remove the meat to a separate bowl when you caramelize the onion or you'll never get the sweet delicious taste out of the onion that is worth aiming for.

I have Dutch Ovens in three different sizes and one of them is shallow and smaller so I use that one for Shepherd's Pie because I don't have to wash another pot or dish.  But you can easily make this in any casserole or oven proof baking dish.

SHEPHERD'S PIE LARGE

SHEPHERD'S PIE MEDIUM

Serves 8-10

2 pounds ground lamb

2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

1 yellow onion, diced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt

3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped in large pieces

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3/4 cup Red Wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon but use whatever you like)

1/4 cup Cognac, completely optional

1/4 cup all purpose flour (I use unbleached but it isn't necessary)

6    cups of Beef Broth (I use Swanson's if I don't make my own)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, optional

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen peas (buy the sweetest ones you can find)

1 pound of cremini mushrooms, quartered (optional)

6 cups of Mashed Potatoes

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

Chopped Parsley for Garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Season the ground lamb or ground beef with salt and pepper before you cook it.  On the stove, heat a heavy bottom pan or Dutch oven to medium high heat.  Brown all of the meat.  

Remove cooked meat to a bowl.  Pour off all of the fat and discard or save for another use.

In the same pan that still has some of the browned meat bits on the bottom add 2 tablespoons olive oil and sauté a diced yellow onion over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes.  

Then add the chunks of carrots and cook for another minute.  Add in two tablespoons of tomato paste and stir to have the tomato paste coat the onions and carrots.  Let it cook for two minutes until the tomato paste gets slightly caramelized.

Add the red wine (and Cognac if you are in the mood.)

Then sprinkle the 1/4 cup of all purpose flour over the ground lamb or beef.  Stir to combine.

Add 6 cups of beef broth and the Worcestershire Sauce.  Let it cook for a couple minutes until the beef broth is warm.

Add the fresh or frozen peas, the fresh thyme, and flat leaf parsley and stir.  

If you are adding mushrooms, sauté them in a separate pan in butter with a little kosher salt and then add them to the mixture right after the peas.  

Mix Mashed Potatoes with one egg.  If you are using the same pan just put the mashed potatoes evenly over the top by putting dollops of potatoes all over and gently spreading them.  Instead of making the potatoes smooth on the top, use the back of a spoon to make slightly indentions for the butter.

If you are using a casserole or baking dish pour the beef mixture into the baking dish and then put the potatoes on top as mentioned above.

Drizzle or brush with melted butter.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes until bubbly and slightly browned on top.

Remove from oven and wait ten minutes before serving.  It is even better warmed up the next day so makes wonderful leftovers.

Maili's Notes:  It can also be made up to three days in advance, covered tightly with plastic wrap and cooked just before you serve it.   Another option is to get large ramekins or individual baking dishes and make individual portions.

My dear foodie friend, Justin Pace tested my Shepherd's Pie recipe for me and I always love his photos so I wanted to share them here.  Justin is on instagram as @kjp1969