Lamb And Wild Mushroom Shepherds Pie Food

LAMB SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Combine the garlic, bay leaf, carrot, celery, onion and oil in a medium skillet and cook, covered, over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes. Push the vegetables to the perimeter of the pan and add the lamb. Increase the heat to high and cook, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over. Sprinkle with the mustard, 1 teaspoon of the salt and some pepper. Stir until fragrant, 1 minute, then add the tomato paste, fennel seeds and tomato puree and stir again. Cook for 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and stir in the mint and sage. Remove the bay leaf.
• Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover by 2 inches with salted water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until a knife releases easily from the potatoes when pierced in the center, 12 to 15 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water and drain the potatoes. In the same pot, combine the milk, butter, and 1/2 cup of the cooking water and stir together over high heat. Bring to a boil. Mash the potatoes with a masher, then slowly drizzle the hot liquid over the potatoes and stir until light and fluffy. Taste and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon the lamb mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch deep-dish pie plate, spreading it evenly over the bottom. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top, covering completely. Use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to create a swirled pattern in the potatoes. Bake until the topping turns golden in spots, about 30 minutes. Serve warm.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes to boiling water and boil for about 15 to 20 minutes, until soft; a knife should go in with almost no resistance.
• In a small saucepan or a microwave oven, heat 6 tablespoons of the butter and milk together until butter melts. Drain potatoes well and return to pot. Using a masher or a ricer, mash hot potatoes until smooth. Mix in the hot butter mixture, just until blended. Stir in the Cheddar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large oven-safe skillet with high sides or an enameled cast-iron braiser (at least 2 1/2-quart capacity) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add the beef and the lamb and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink. (At this point, you can drain off some of the excess fat if you like.) Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
• Add the tomato paste and stir, cooking until it is well combined, another 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef stock and cook, stirring, until the liquid has thickened slightly. Stir in the parsley and remove the thyme and rosemary stems. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Top the meat mixture with dollops of the mashed potatoes then spread them out over the top. (Or transfer the meat mixture to a 3-quart casserole dish and spread into an even layer, and top with potatoes.) Transfer to the oven and, if the mixture is at the top edges of your pan, set a foil-lined baking sheet underneath the pan to catch any drips. Bake the pie until the potatoes have begun to brown and the edges are bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

LAMB SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Making the potatoes: Set a large saucepan filled with cold water over high heat. Add enough salt to the water to make it taste like the ocean. Add the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-high. Simmer until you can slide a knife right through one of the potato pieces without any force, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Ricing the potatoes: Pour the potatoes into a large colander and shake to make sure all the water is out. Let the colander sit in the sink for 3 to 4 minutes to steam the potatoes dry. If you own a potato ricer or food mill, push the potatoes through. Or, you can push the potatoes through a fine-mesh sieve with the back of a ramekin or ladle.
• Finishing the potatoes: Put the potatoes back into the pot you cooked them in. Stir the softened butter into the potatoes. Add the cream, egg, and olive oil and stir with a rubber spatula until the potato puree is silky smooth.
• Browning the meat: Set a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the oil, and then add the ground lamb. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the lamb is thoroughly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Sauteing the vegetables: Add the onions to the pan in which you cooked the lamb, along with the garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the pepper, mushrooms, and carrots and cook until the carrots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the lavender and rosemary and cook until they release their fragrance, about 1 minute. Add the meat back to the vegetable mixture and remove from heat.
• Making the sauce: Pour in the red wine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the wine has reduced by half its volume. Add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Combine the cornstarch and water and stir until you have a thick slurry. After the chicken stock has simmered for a moment, pour in the slurry and stir the mixture thoroughly. This will thicken the liquid into gravy.
• Finishing the shepherd's pie: Turn on the oven to broil. Transfer the meat and vegetable mixture to a large pie pan. Top with the potato puree. Cook under the broiler until the potatoes have turned a dark golden-brown, about 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

LAMB AND WILD MUSHROOM SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• To make the filling, cut the lamb into 1/2-inch pieces. Stem and cut the mushrooms into 3/4-inch pieces.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper, and allspice. Add the lamb and toss to coat evenly.
• In a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tb of the olive oil. Add the lamb and saute until well browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add the remaining 1 Tb oil to the pan. Add the shallots and garlic and stir for 1 minute.
• Add the mushrooms and the bay leaf and saute until well browned, about 6 minutes.
• Return the lamb to the pan, stir in the stock and tomato paste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 45 minutes.
• Uncover and simmer until the juices thicken, about 2 minutes. Transfer the filling to a 9-inch pie dish.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• To make the topping, pour water to a depth of 1 inch into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Peel and slice the potatoes into rounds 1/4 inch thick. Put the potatoes into a steamer basket and set the basket over boiling water. (The water should not touch the bottom of the steamer basket).
• Cover and steam until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a small knife, about 12 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl.
• Add the milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Mash well with a potato masher. Stir in half of the chives. Spoon the potatoes on top of the lamb mixture to cover it completely.
• Bake until the pie is heated through and the potatoes begin to brown, about 35 minutes.
• Sprinkle with remaining chives and serve immediately.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 6-cup baking dish and set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the lamb and cook until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and bay leaf, and cook, stirring, until their liquid is almost all gone, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until starting to color, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually add the stock and Worcestershire sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with salted water by 1-inch. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and return to the pot. Over low heat, mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and nutmeg, and mash to incorporate. Add the heavy cream and mix well. Remove from the heat.
• Remove the pot with the meat from the heat. Remove the bay leaf. Spoon into the prepared dish and top with the mashed potatoes, smoothing the top. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake until browned and bubbly on top, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

MUSHROOM SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. In a Dutch oven, heat butter and 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until browned. Remove and set aside., In the same pan, heat remaining oil. Add onion; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2-3 minutes or until wine is almost evaporated. Stir in stock, parsley, thyme, salt, pepper and mushrooms. Bring to a boil; cook 3-4 minutes longer or until liquid is reduced by half., In a small bowl, mix flour and softened butter until blended; stir into mushroom mixture until thickened. Transfer to a greased 11x7-in. baking dish., Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain; return to pan. Mash potatoes, gradually adding milk, butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper., Spread potatoes over mushroom mixture; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through. If desired, top with additional thyme or parsley.