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This dish will help you learn timing

• Scott Daniels: We Ate Well and Cheaply
• January 11, 2024
• 1075

Considering the generally low reputation of Britain’s cuisine, there certainly are a lot of celebrity chefs from the UK giving us some pretty great food. Just about all of them, at one point or another, give a recipe for shepherd’s pie. I’ve seen so many examples of it that it has been on my try list for a long time.

Shepherd’s pie is a baked dish of lamb or beef covered over with a thick layer of mashed potatoes, and it’s one of the dishes the Brits are known for. I checked recipes from Robert Irvine, Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver and Alton Brown. Oliver’s was the oddest, with ingredients I was unfamiliar with. The others were similar to each other, and I came up with a combination that produced something much more delicious than I expected. It’s a quite flavorful, multi-textured dish that should warm you in the cold evening. I served the red wine from the recipe with it, but I think a nice ale would be better.

This is a recipe that really requires you to do the preparatory leg work up front. This dish will help you learn timing, as everything has to come together in the right order. You don’t want to find yourself ready for the mashed potatoes but discover they’ve only just started boiling. Grating the carrot and onion adds a nice texture to the finished dish.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

1 pound 90% lean ground beef or use ground lamb

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large yellow onion

1 large carrot

1 stalk celery

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup dry red wine, like a cabernet

1 cup chicken stock, warmed

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

The Potatoes:

3 large russet potatoes

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup half-and-half, warmed

1/2 stick butter

3 tablespoons sour cream

2 egg yolks

Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 F.

Begin by preparing ingredients in advance and getting everything ready. Peel the onion and finely mince the garlic, trim the carrot and mince the celery, finely chop the herbs, measure out the wine and stock, and grate the cheese. Separate the eggs and warm the half-and-half.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Put them in a saucepan with the peeled garlic and add water to just cover. Bring them to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, cooking until soft, about 15 minutes. Drain them, returning them to the pot, then mash them well. Add the half-and-half, salt and pepper to taste, butter, and sour cream, mixing all until smooth. Finally, add the egg yolks and incorporate well.

Once the potatoes are boiling, start the filling. Heat a heavy-bottomed, wide pan over medium heat. Add the oil, then the beef or lamb, breaking it up into small pieces as it browns. Once the meat is browned, grate the carrot into the pan, then grate the onion and add it along with the minced celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste, and stir well. Pour in the red wine and add the herbs, then the flour. Stir well and add the warmed stock. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the peas and cook 10 minutes more. Taste for seasoning and correct as needed.

Spoon the meat mixture evenly into a greased, medium-size baking dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top carefully, beginning at the edges, to create a seal at the edge. Smooth out the top with a cake spatula or knife and sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. You can add a few minutes under the broiler for deeper color if desired.