Great English Food: Shepherd's Pie

Picture snagged from here. PROPER!

English food has long been misunderstood in this country. Even classified as repulsive by those who may not appreciate the combination of beans and toast for breakfast. But some of us know better. A lot of that undeserved reputation seems to be a problem in translation. People from the UK have a history of taking perfectly delicious foods and giving them horrifically unappealing names.

- “A nice hearty sausage? Oy, let’s call that blood pudding”

- “Delicious back bacon? What’s a good name for that, mum? Roight, they’s called rashers, they is.”

- “Fruit dessert? That’s called trifle. Shut up, that's why.”

What you see is the foundation of American mistrust of British cooking. Had these people invented hamburgers, they probably would have named it Goatse (note: don’t Google that term if you don’t know it. Give thanks for your ignorance).

Smashy smashy!

Likewise, today’s meal suffers from a name that rubs Americans the wrong way. Shepherd’s pie is an excellent dish, especially in the fall/winter months. But when we hear the word pie, we expect it to be either topped with ice cream or torn out of a Hostess wrapper. Minced lamb (or venison, or beef, or unicorn), carrots, and mashed potatoes is quite the shock when one’s mind is conditioned to expect apples, sugar, and pastry. I’m not taking a side on who is “right” in this issue. I’m telling you to man up if you’ve never tried this before. It’s worth it.

The concept is simple, but you can take it a number of ways (see anal-retentive note below). You take minced or ground meat, brown it, and sweat some aromatic vegetables and herbs. You then combine these with some wine, broth, and maybe a little tomato paste. When the mix is nice and reduced, put it into a dish, top with mashed potatoes, and bake until the potatoes are nice and brown. Sing “God Save the Queen” (original or Sex Pistols version) and eat.

Yep, that's right. We used it a second time. That's how we roll.

(Note: Far as my ignorant Yank self understands, this dish is only deemed Shepherd’s Pie if you make it with lamb. Should you elect for venison [my favorite] or beef, it apparently becomes a Cottage Pie. It’s like magic.)

Shepherd's Pie

The Setup

That beer? That's for you, champ.

Pie filling
- 2 lb minced lamb or venison
- 1 white onion, small dice or minced
- 1 carrot, small dice or minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (This is important. Don't go dried if you can help it.)
- 1 c red wine
- 1 14 oz. can beef stock or broth
- 1 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp paprika
- Flour for dusting
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
Mashed potatoes
- 2-4 med/large russet potatoes (2 lb total)
- 1/2 stick (2 oz) unsalted butter
- 4-5 oz. whole milk

Cut it small. And on a Space Invaders cutting board. Both are key.

Cooking

1. If using cubed or minced meat, rather than ground, dust with flour. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a 12-in skillet over med-hi. Brown meat in batches, adding oil during the process if necessary.

3. Add onion, carrot, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, until the onions and carrots begin to soften.

4. Add Worcestershire, tomato paste, and rosemary. Cook for another minute.

5. Pour in red wine. Bring to a boil and reduce until wine is almost evaporated.

6. Pour in enough stock/broth to cover ingredients. Check seasoning and simmer for another 20 minutes.

7. Add paprika and allspice. Preheat oven to 450.

8. Boil or simmer potatoes until tender. After potatoes cool, pass through ricer and whisk with butter and milk.

9. Spread meat mixture evenly around the bottom of a medium casserole or souffle dish. Top evenly with mashed potatoes, and use a fork to rough up the top of the potatoes. Kind of like this:



10. Bake at 450 for 25-30 min, until the top of the potatoes are browned to your liking.