I bet you thought I had forgotten about my self-imposed challenge. True, I haven’t been cooking as much lately, but as I have been preparing for the wedding and busy with beaurocratic bullsh*t since I moved, the inspiration has been on the back burner. But I’m back, with a vengeance! Finally after settling in and having the majority of my tasks completed, I now have time and the chutzpah to dedicate to some serious cooking. Especially now that the weather has turned, and I can open my kitchen windows and let in that beautiful spring breeze!
I have made shepherd’s pie for many, many years. It was one of the first ways I got my daughter to eat her veg, masked under the layers of creamy mash. That is why I was so excited to try this recipe from Saveur, because it looked delicious. And true to its word, as my daughter put it, it was the best shepherd’s pie she had ever eaten. Quite disillusioned with the recipes that we tried before from the magazine, she was super surprised when I told her its provenance!
I know I mentioned in my first challenge that I would recreate the recipes exactly as they are printed, but since moving to Madrid, I haven’t found “my markets” yet. You know, your go-to places to get those ingredients that are a little harder to find? Well, in my case, even the easy ingredients are harder to find. It’s amazing how much Madrid differs to Barcelona. Some things that I considered staples in my household because I knew where to buy them, have now become extremely difficult to attain. So, this recipe has two variants. Instead of lamb shoulder, I used ground beef, (I get lots of lamb chops in my neighborhood, but shoulder, not so much.) And, I added peas. Just cause we all love peas. (I snuck some nutmeg into the mash too….)
This dish was a winner. The layer of beef was juicy and flavorful, the mash was silky smooth on the inside, and perfectly crispy on the outside. Total hit!
Overall Points: 9/10 – It beat the Carbonnade!
Difficulty: Medium, just for the varying components of the recipe. But, it is leaning more towards easy.
Availability of ingredients: Readily available
Serves 6
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lb trimmed lamb shoulder, cut into 1/4″ cubes
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup beef stock
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 15 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes in juice, crushed by hand
1/2 cup frozen peas (my addition)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 lb russet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 tbsp unsalted butter
Freshly grated nutmeg (my addition)
1. Heat oil in a 6-qt saucepan over medium high heat. Add lamb, and cook, stirring, until browned all over, 10-12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add celery, garlic, carrot, and onion to pan, and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Add wine, and cook, stirring to scrape bottom of pan, until wine evaporates, about 8 minutes. Add stock, Worcestershire, bay leaves, and tomatoes, and cook, stirring, until slightly reduced, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, add the peas and lamb, mix well, and transfer to a 9″ deep-dish pie plate; set aside.
2. Heat oven to 400 F. Place potatoes in a 4 qt saucepan, and cover with water by 1″; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes; drain. Meanwhile, bring cream and butter to a simmer in a 1 qt saucepan; keep warm. Transfer potatoes to a food mill or potato ricer, and process into a bowl; add hot cream and butter, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and whisk until smooth and fluffy. Spoon potatoes over meat filling in dish, spreading to cover to the edge; drag tines of fork lightly over potatoes to create ridges all over. (Alternatively, fill a piping bag with the potatoes and pipe them in rows over the filling.) Bake until potatoes are golden brown and filling is heated through, about 45 minutes. Let cool 20 minutes. (Serve with peas if you didn’t add them in!)
From my kitchen to yours,
Carla