Sunday, October 5, 2008

Shepherd's Pie (my favorite comfort food dish)

shepherds pie pan

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Back in June, when we first started this site, I posted a number of old, favorite recipes including shepherd's pie. When the air gets cool, Lisl and I find no comfort food more satisfying than this dish. My version was originally inspired by the Dean & Deluca cookbook, and I make it slightly differently almost every time. Tonight was no exception, so I'll post tonight's approach here and note the differences to the old recipe at the end.

Shepherd's Pie

Mashed Potatoes (the top layer)
6 to 8 medium red or gold potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup milk (but be prepared to use more)
2 tbsp butter, cut into smaller pieces
salt
pepper
handful of parsely, finely chopped


Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until cooked all the way through. You can cut them into smaller pieces to speed cooking. Drain the potatoes, return to the pot, add the butter and mash. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, the parsley and milk. Taste for salt. Add milk - your exact amount of milk will depend on size and number of potatoes. You want the mashed potatoes to be quite moist without crossing over into being liquid. (Frankly, I would say make the mashed potatoes the way you really love to make them; just don't make it too dry as this all is going to bake before being served).

The Base
1 to 1.5 lb of ground beef
5 slices of bacon
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, chopped
5 or 6 carrots, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 tsp dried oregano
salt
pinch of red pepper flakes (spicy)

Cook the bacon in a large cast iron pan to the point where they are almost crispy, then remove and chop. Cook the ground beef in the bacon fat until browned, adding in 1/2 tsp of salt, 1 tbsp of worcestershire sauce, and the dried oregano. Once browned, remove to a bowl.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Add a splash of olive oil to the cast iron pan and saute the onions on medium-low heat until they start to turn translucent, then add the carrots. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn up the heat slightly and add the wine and tomato paste. Continue to cook, stirring regularly, for another 5 to 10 minutes, then add in the ground beef, chopped bacon, another tbsp of worcestershire sauce, another pinch of salt, and the pinch of red pepper flakes. Let this cook together for 5 or 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and taste for salt and oregano. You'll note that I'm writing flexible cooking times, but I prefer more time when possible in order to let the carrots soften. If it starts to dry out, add a little more wine (or water or beef stock).

shepherds pie cut

Forming the Pie
Turn off the heat and flatten the mixture out. With a large ladel, place your mash potatoes on top carefully in dollops, trying not to allow the potatoes and meat base to mix. Take a fork, hold it mostly horizontal with the curve of the tines pointing down (like the bottom of a boat) and use this to spread the mashed potatoes around until it evenly covers the dish. I find that this allows you to spread the potatoes more delicately and thus prevents everything from mushing together. For aesthetics, I also like to use the tines of the fork to decorate the top with various patterns.

Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then turn on the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Let cool for 5 or 10 minutes, then serve.

A couple years ago, Lisl discovered that this goes really well with a side-sauce of ketchup and sriracha sauce mixed together evenly. If you don't have Thai chili sauce, try Tabasco (if you like things spicy). This goes really well with a red shiraz or zinfandel, or a good beer.

Notes:
In the original recipe, the exact quantities of several things were slightly different. The other version also added 2 tsp of flour to the beef while cooking, used rosemary rather than oregano, and vermouth rather than white wine (I love cooking with vermouth), and included some beef stock. I started cooking this dish back in 2001 while we lived in London, and where "bacon" is more like what American's call Canadian bacon; I'll often use that instead of typical American bacon.

shepherds pie overhead
Yum.

Variations:
Shepherd's Pie with a more middle eastern spice combination
Original Shepherd's Pie recipe

19 comments:

Stacey Snacks said...

Henry is looking at the screen at 11:30 pm and asking me to make this!
This is better looking than any pub food I have ever eaten!
I am not going to make it now....but will!

kat said...

Yum! This is a favorite of ours too but I've struggled to find the perfect filling, I'll have to try yours.

Giff said...

I expect to hear reports on the improvements you made -- from both of you!

Jeni said...

That looks really good. I've never tried Shepherds pie but I'll have to give this a try!

Anonymous said...

I haven't made Shepherd's Pie since last Fall, and yours looks so good, it's inspiring me to make it again, like now.

Ulla said...

this looks so good:)
i think my boyfriend would love it!:)

Sharon said...

Found you on Tastespotting....this looks so comforting and perfect for the cooler days coming.

Anonymous said...

I love that last picture. It looks like a giant Pacman (... okay with a little imagination:). That's comfort food at it's best my friend and very nicely done. I can't wait to have a bite. Do you deliver? :-)

Giff said...

thanks jeni, marysol, ulla and sharon and zen

pac man picture also cracked me up zen, I was looking at that picture thinking I should have a stop-motion animation that showed the pan rapidly emptying out :)

Anonymous said...

straight outta my childhood!

Bob said...

That looks amazing. I love shepherds pie. I used to go to a pub that made it with ground beef and lamb chunks. It was the best things ever.

Maria said...

I've never ventured to make Shepherd's Pie although I have enjoyed it in a number of Irish Pubs here in NYC.
This will definitely be on my "to make" list next week!

Anonymous said...

The pub grub out there. We use this as a good way to get the kids there veggies with lots of carrots!

Cate Bruce-Low said...

beautiful. the top is very klimt-esque. this would be a hit with the kiddies, too.

Anonymous said...

This looks great! used to eat this all the time as a kid : )

Anonymous said...

Our favorite also... tried to make the one with puff pastry version, but still like shepherd pie better though

Anonymous said...

Such a pretty Shepard's pie, words I never thought I'd utter! Looks delish :-)

Anonymous said...

I think I am making this tomorrow - it looks ridiculously good - can you let me know how many people you feed with that baby? Thanks Giff!

Anonymous said...

Dear reader of this blog, still looking for a Christmas dish? Make that shepherd's pie! Ready in a jiffy and the most fabulous comfort food ever.
Thank you Giff for sharing this recipe, this is amazing.