Shepherd's Pie

I ate a lot of Shepherd's pie while studying abroad in London and crave it when it gets cold and rainy. Well, Tuesday was just such a day. Cold? Check. Rainy? Check. Time to make the Shepherd's Pie recipe I've had in the back of my mind for a while. It's not something I'd want to make every day, but it hit the spot on the first real cool day in a while.

Also, I specifically recall one of my faithful readers fairly recently lamenting not being able to eat Shepherd's Pie since becoming a vegetarian, so I have taken the liberty of of noting how I would suggest making this very meat-y recipe vegetarian-friendly without simply substituting fake meat for the real thing. Those notes will follow the regular recipe.

Please forgive the bad photo -
I'm convinced it's impossible to take a good picture of a Shepherd's Pie

Mummy Boome's Traditional Shepherd's Pie
Recipe by Danny Boome, adapted
Serves 4
Cook Time - 1 hr

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup beef stock
3/4 cups garden peas (I used corn)
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, recipe follows

Preheat oven at 400 degrees F.

Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic until tender for about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have softened and start to brown a little add the tomato paste and mix evenly. Add the ground beef and cook until beef is no longer pink about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix in peas. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potato on top of ground beef mixture and spread out evenly, once the top surface has been covered, rake through with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. Place the dish into the preheated oven and cook until browned about 20 minutes. Spoon out the shepherd's pie and serve.

Mashed Potatoes
2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, quartered
2-3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used milk)
3/4 cup grated mature white Cheddar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Fill a large saucepan with cold water and a tablespoon of salt. Add potatoes to the water and bring to a boil. Let potatoes cook until soft about 20 minutes. Once the potatoes are at a desired density, drain the potatoes and place them back into the saucepan for mashing. Add butter and cream and begin to mash potatoes into a semi smooth consistency. Once at desired texture add cheese and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

***Now, here are my suggestions for a vegetarian friendly Shepherd's Pie - feel free to play around with the veggies and quantities to suit your own tastes**

INGREDIENTS
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 TBSP tomato paste
1/3 cup vegetable stock
1-2 TBSP flour
1 cup corn
1 cup garden peas
1/2 - 3/4 cup green beans
Cheesy Mashed Potatoes, recipe above

DIRECTIONS
Add butter and oil to a large skillet on medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, celery and garlic until tender for about 7 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have softened and start to brown a little add the tomato paste and mix evenly. Add the stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook and simmer for another 10 minutes. If the mixture needs to thicken, add 1-2 TBSP flour and whisk together. Mix in peas, corn, and green beans. Transfer mixture to an oven-proof baking dish and spread evenly. Place potato on top of the veggie mixture and spread out evenly, once the top surface has been covered, rake through with a fork so that there are peaks that will brown nicely. Place the dish into the preheated oven and cook until browned about 20 minutes. Spoon out the shepherd's pie and serve.