Shepherd’s Pie

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This is a comfort food I remember from my childhood, so I decided to try it out as an adult. I actually quite liked it. I will make this again—it gets a 7.8. I looked at quite a few different recipes, but mainly used one from melskitchencafe.com as the main recipe. It is very similar to one from Alton Brown on the food network, as well. I have included the basis for what I did, and then added my changes in bold. Don’t forget to bake this long enough to brown the potatoes, which I did not do. I got in a rush because I had my cousin coming to dinner, so it was hot, but it was much better on the edges where the potatoes browned.

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Shepherd’s Pie

Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients

    Potato Layer:

  • 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4-5 cups) I did about 5 potatoes
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 - 1 cup milk I used 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese it needs more
  • 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese next time, I will add parmesan to the top as well.
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 egg yolk

    Meat Filling:

  • 2 - 2 1/2 pounds ground beef, turkey, lamb, or sausage (or a combination of any) I used turkey, and I used less than this. I used about 1 1/2 lbs. In addition to the meat, I added about 80% of one of the big Costco containers of mushrooms
  • 1 cup chopped onion I used twice this much
  • 2 large carrots chopped small (about 1 cup) I used 3 times as much
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely pressed I used 6 cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste I used the entire can
  • 1 1/4 cups low-sodium beef or chicken broth I left this out and just put in 2 tsp. Better than bouillon (chicken kind)
  • 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce I did 3-4 times this much
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano I did 3 times this
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh) I did 3 times this
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary (or 1 teaspoon fresh) I doubled this
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels I doubled this.
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas I doubled this. I also added about 2 cups of frozen green beans for more green vegetables.
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese I forgot to add this, although it would be good. I did add about 1 cup of sour cream though.

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray (I've also used a slightly smaller ceramic casserole dish with good results, too, just makes the layers slightly thicker).
  2. Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with 1-2 inches of water. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes or so (it will depend on how large or small the potatoes are cut) until the potatoes are tender.
  3. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Mash the potatoes lightly. Add the butter, milk (start with 1/2 cup and add more if needed), Parmesan and cheddar cheeses, salt and pepper to taste, and garlic powder. Mash together until smooth and creamy. Stir in the egg yolk until combined.
  4. For the meat and vegetable mixture, in a large 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the ground meat, onion, carrots, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are starting to soften, 5-7 minutes or so. Drain any excess grease from the mixture.
  5. Sprinkle the flour over the meat and cook over medium to medium-high heat for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer gently for 10 minutes.
  6. Stir in the corn and peas.
  7. Pour the meat mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top all the way to the edges of the pan creating a seal over the meat mixture. Sprinkle the 1 cup cheddar over the top of the potatoes.
  8. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the edges are golden and the casserole is bubbling. Let it rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving.

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/shepherds-pie/

Source:

recipe retrieved 3/4/15 from http://www.melskitchencafe.com/shepherds-pie/

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