The newspaper’s food web page put this recipe up for St Patrick’s Day, but AFAIK there isn’t anything specifically Irish about shepherd’s pie (AKA “cottage pie”). Wiki says it was first written about in England.
The two English terms have been used interchangeably since they came into use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, although some writers insist that a shepherd's pie should contain lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie, beef.
I’d have used ground lamb if I’d seen it at the store, no such luck. I hadn’t planned to write about this, but I searched and didn’t find any WFDs. Good thing I took a picture.
SHEPHERD’S PIE
Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer — serves 2
3/4 pound russet or Idaho potatoes
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups frozen chopped or diced onion
1 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth
4 teaspoons minced garlic
3/4 pound 95% lean ground beef
1 tablespoon flour
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary or 2 teaspoons dried
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (1 ounce)
Preheat broiler. Wash potatoes; do not peel. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add water and cover the bowl with a plate or plastic wrap. Microwave on high 5 minutes. Remove from microwave. Let sit without removing the cover while preparing remaining ingredients. Mash the potatoes in a food processor or with a potato ricer or sieve. Mix with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Heat an 8- or 9-inch skillet that can go from stovetop to broiler, over medium high heat. Add the onion and 1 tablespoon chicken broth. Saute until the onions are soft and golden, 5 minutes. Add more chicken broth if pan becomes dry. Add the garlic and ground beef. Break up beef with the edge of a spoon and saute 1 minute.
Sprinkle flour over top and add the remaining chicken broth, tomato paste and rosemary. Mix well. Simmer 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens. Add Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste. Taste for seasoning adding more Worcestershire if needed. Spread mashed potatoes on top and sprinkle with cheese. Place under the heated broiler for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese melts.
My notes: I used 80/20 ground beef, beef broth not chicken broth, and added ¼ lb mushrooms, chopped, after adding the ground beef. I didn’t think all this would fit in my 8-inch pan so I used a 10-inch pan, and you can see I needed more potatoes to cover the bigger surface. I boiled my potatoes in water on the stove and added some butter and milk not olive oil.
It was very good! This is classic comfort food.
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Not sure about my plans for tonight. What’s for dinner at your place?
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