The Shepherd Found Another Pie Food

THE BEST SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the topping: Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Season with 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the saucepan.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, thyme and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and tender, about 15 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it turns brick red, about 8 minutes. Add the lamb, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
• Stir in the peas. Stir in the flour until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add the broth and Worcestershire and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
• To finish the topping, melt the butter in the large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cabbage and leeks and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, 1 tablespoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper, and cook until warm, about 1 minute. Return the potatoes to the pan with the cabbage and add the cheese. Mash with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolks.
• Transfer the filling to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the topping, swirling to create texture. Make sure that the sides are sufficiently covered so the filling doesn't leak through. Bake until the filling is bubbly and the top is lightly golden, about 35 minutes. Let rest 15 minutes before serving.

SHEPHERD'S PIE (THE REAL THING!)

Steps:

• Use 1/2 a can of Guiness Stout to marinade ground lamb. Leave covered in fridge for at least 1 hr and if possible overnight.
• In a hot pan, put in olive oil and add mince lamb to brown. Strain cooked mince with a big sieve, separating meat & juice.
• Reheat same pan, add more olive oil and now saute & brown diced onions, garlic and carrot till fragrant and translucent.
• Add the cooked mince into this pan and mix well.
• Add dried marjoram, rosemary and thyme and mix well.
• Pour left over juice from the mince into the pan and add all the Worcestershire sauce and half of the English parsley and stir well.
• Cook on low heat for 20 mins and when it starts bubbling, add in flour to thicken the mixture.
• Add salt & pepper to taste.
• Cook potatoes in salted water till soft enough to mash.
• Strain potatoes and mash with a big knob of salted butter, cream and milk (totally full fat!). Season with salt, pepper and a dash of nutmeg powder.
• Pour cooked mince mixture in a big enough pyrex dish.
• Layer the mash potato on top and seal the edges.
• Bake or brown in oven for 20 to 30 mins at 180 degrees celsius.
• Serve with a side of boiled cabbage & carrots with lots of butter and sprinkle leftover English parsley!

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• In a large nonstick skillet cook the meat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate. Drain any fat remaining in the skillet.
• Heat the oil in the skillet over a medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, covered, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Raise the heat to moderately-high. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and their liquid has evaporated, about 8 minutes longer. Return the meat to the pan. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper and bring to a simmer being sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the peas. Pour the mixture into a 12-cup shallow baking dish (about 11 by 9 inches).
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scrub the potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. Arrange the potatoes in a steamer basket, and steam for 10 minutes. Add the cauliflower to the basket and cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 15 minutes longer. Mash the vegetables with a potato masher until smooth. Heat the milk, butter, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper and stir into the potato mixture.
• Spread the potato mixture on top of the meat and bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.
• Excellent source of: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Folate, Vitamin K, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Potassium, Zinc
• Good source of: Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Heat large fry pan on medium heat. Add oil and onions, carrot and celery. Add approximately 1/4 of the kosher salt. Cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the vegetables soften (about 10 minutes).
• Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the ground lamb. Sprinkle the meat with another 1/4 of the kosher salt. Stir, breaking up the meat and continue cooking until the meat is nearly browned (almost no pink left).
• Remove from heat and spoon off the excess fat.
• Return to medium heat. Add the flour to the pan and stir until combined. Allow to cook for approximately 2 minutes.
• Stir in the Thyme and Rosemary. Add the broth and the tomato paste. Stir until combined. Allow the mixture in the pan to bubble. It will thicken slightly.
• Season with pepper and about 1/2 the remaining kosher salt. Add a dash of Worcestershire Sauce, and pinch of nutmeg. Stir in the frozen peas, remove from heat.
• In parallel with the above, boil the potatoes for approximately 10-15 minutes until fork-tender. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the water they were boiled inches
• Place boiled potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and remaining kosher salt. Mash with potato masher until all the potato pieces are riced. Add the water and stir until smooth.
• Place the meat mixture in a round casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Make sure the potatoes come all the way to the edge and form a seal.
• Bake in 400 degree F oven for 30 minutes. It will likely bubble over a bit, so put some foil under it or bake on baking sheet.

THE ULTIMATE MAKEOVER: SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large, deep sauté pan or saucepan. Tip in the onion and thyme sprigs and fry for 2-3 mins. Then add the carrots and fry together for 5-8 mins, stirring occasionally until the vegetables start to brown. Stir in the mince to break it down. Fry for 1-2 mins until no longer pink. Stir in the flour, scraping the bottom of the pan in case the meat sticks, then cook for another 1-2 mins. Pour in the stock and stir until thickened. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, lentils and Worcestershire sauce and season with pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 45 mins, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Drop all the potatoes into a large pan of boiling water. Bring back to the boil, then simmer for 12-15 mins or until the potatoes are tender. Drain well in a colander then tip back into the pan. Mash with a masher or, briefly, with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Beat in the crème fraîche and milk with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
• Spoon the meat into a 1.5 litre pie dish and remove the thyme sprigs. Top with the mash and smooth over with a knife. Use a fork to create a ridged pattern on top. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 mins until piping hot and the filling starts to bubble around the edges. If the top is not brown enough, pop it under the grill for 5 mins or so until the mash is crisp and golden. Let it sit for 5 mins then serve.