It’s finally March – the start of spring. Time to start putting away the heavy coats and snow boots, right?? Wrong. After having a pretty mild winter here in Chi-town Mother Nature has woken up and is bringing on the snow in full force. We have had more snow in the month of February than we had all winter! Another snow storm is headed our way tonight and all day tomorrow. I hope this is the last of it. I’m so ready for warm weather and sunshine!
After a fun weekend P and I decided to hunker down last night and watch some movies and make a delicious comfort food classic – Shepherd’s Pie. I do have a confession – I’ve never actually had Shepherd’s Pie. P – being of Irish decent – is a big fan of the dish and I was hoping this recipe would not disappoint him!
Good News. It was delicious! One warning - this is definitely not a 30-minute weeknight meal. There are lots of prep and lots of ingredients. But the end result was super delicious and totally worth it.
Another great America’s Test Kitchen meal.
Shepherd's Pie
For the Potato Topping:
· 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
· 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
· 1/2 cup milk
· 1 large egg yolk
· 6 scallions, green parts only, sliced thin
For the Filling:
· 1 1/2 pounds 93 percent lean ground beef (don’t use anything with more fat here – the dish will get greasy)
· 2 tablespoons plus
· 2 teaspoons water
· Salt and pepper
· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
· 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
· 1 onion, chopped
· 4 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and chopped
· 1 tablespoon tomato paste
· 2 garlic cloves, minced
· 2 tablespoons Red Wine (we used a cab)
· 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
· 1 1/4cups beef broth
· 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
· Pinch of dried thyme
· 1 bay leaf
· 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped (make sure these are small or they won’t cook all the way through)
· 2 teaspoons cornstarch
1. Mix together beef with 2 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and baking soda in bowl until thoroughly combined. Set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place potatoes in pot; add water to just cover and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain potatoes and return to the same pot used to cook them. Return pot to low heat and cook, shaking pot occasionally, until any surface moisture on potatoes has evaporated, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and use a potato ricer to mash potatoes. Stir in melted butter. Whisk together milk and egg yolk in small bowl and stir into potatoes. If needed - add additional milk to get to the desired consistency. Stir in scallions and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside.
3. Heat oil in broiler-safe 10-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are just starting to soften and dark bits form on bottom of skillet, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and garlic; cook until bottom of skillet is dark brown, about 2 minutes. Add red wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaf, and carrots; bring to boil, scraping up any browned bits. Reduce heat and tear off little chunks of the beef and place on top of the broth mixture. Cover the skillet and cook for 10 minutes. Halfway through the cooking time, break up the beef chunks into smaller pieces. Remove bay leaf. Stir cornstarch and remaining 2 teaspoons water together in bowl to make a slurry. Stir cornstarch mixture into filling and continue to simmer for 30 seconds.
4. Heat broiler. Place mashed potatoes in large zipper-lock bag and snip off 1 corner to create 1-inch opening. Pipe potatoes over filling mixture and smooth potatoes with a spatula, then use a fork to make ridges over surface. Place skillet under the broiler until potatoes are golden brown and crusty and filling is bubbly, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for before serving to avoid burning your mouth!
CHEERS!
