Its the end of August, and while the days are still sunny and short-sleevey, but the nights have a crispness in the air that says fall is here. And that means comfort food and casseroles are back on the menu.
This makes up a lot of shepherd’s pie filling, so scale it up or down accordingly. budget approximately 1/2 a potato per serving of shepherd’s pie.
A couple of tips to make your shepherd’s pie perfect:
1. use the widest pan you can find to allow the meat to brown. This will also make the sauce thicken up more quickly
2. Steam your potatoes for the mashed potato topping, and run them through your ricer or food mill, and then stir in the butter and half and half. You can also lighten your mashed potatoes by using buttermilk or chicken stock instead of the half and half.
3. If you are doing these as individual portions you plan to freeze, use a piping bag to pipe the mashed potatoes on top (it makes the layer nice and even and is much quicker).
4. this is a great way to use up seasonal produce – whatever produce you happen to have out of the garden or from the market. Beans and zucchini are a nice addition at this time of year.
Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil
- 3 lbs ground beef
- 4 cups onions, diced
- 2 cups celery, diced
- 4 cups carrots, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 T Herbs de Provence
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 2 T fish sauce
- 2 T gluten-free Worchestershire sauce or Balsamic vinegar
- 1 - 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 c frozen peas
- 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
- 6 russet potatoes
- 4 T butter
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1/2 cup smoked cheddar (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute the onions until translucent and lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, and sweat about 30 minutes then add the celery and onions and saute another 5 minutes. Add the meat, salting as you go, and breaking up the meat as it browns.
- Add the Herbs de Provence, tomato sauce, fish sauce and Worchestershire sauce and water, and stir to mix. Add the bayleaf, cover the pot and reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes until the carrots are cooked through.
- Add the frozen peas, turn the heat back up to medium-high and let cook until the peas are thawed. Then sprinkle the buckwheat flour on top and stir into the mixture, stirring as the filling heats up. It will thicken as it comes to the boil. Once thickened, remove from the heat and let cool slightly while you make the mashed potatoes.
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Peel and cut the potatoes into large pieces. Place in a steamer basket and steam for 15-20 minutes until you can easily pierce the pieces with a paring knife. Alternately, you can boil the potatoes and drain them.
- Put the potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer. if you put the butter at the bottom of the pot or bowl you are making the mashed potatoes in, the butter will be melted by the time you are ready to stir the mashed potatoes.
- Add salt and pepper, and stir in the melted butter and half and half. if you are using smoked cheddar cheese, this is the time to add it. Dot the top with butter or sprinkle with more cheese.
- Place the filling in a pie plate, and top with mashed potatoes. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes until the filling is bubbling. Finish the shepherd's pie under the broiler to brown the top.
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