Shepherd’s Pie

If you’re looking for some comforting foodstuffs (or perhaps a cooking project to keep yourself or your little ones occupied), here’s a cozy recipe for shepherd’s pie with roasted garlic herbed mash from yet another awesome female cooker, Andrea Rechtiene, Sous Chef at Southie’s Lincoln Tavern. You may very well have already stocked up on the ingredients (ok, maybe not the rutabagas – just sub in another root veg of your choosing) but you can scoop up whatever you’re missing on your next trip to the store.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 3 tablespoons
  • All purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups beef broth
  • 3 cups root vegetables - carrots, turnips, parsnips, rutabaga
  • 3 pound Russet potatoes
  • 1/2 pound butter, cold
  • 1 quart heavy cream, hot
  • 5 cloves roasted garlic (simmer garlic in olive oil until softened and bronzed)
  • 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary and thyme

Directions

  1. Peel and dice various root vegetables into a medium dice. Toss with salt and olive oil, roast in 400 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes until cooked through and slightly browned.
  2. Peel and quarter russet potatoes. Place in large pot and cover with cold water, boil until tender. Immediately drain and rice through food mill over top of cold butter and roasted garlic into a large bowl. Gradually add hot heavy cream stirring in completely before adding more. You will want your mash to be thicker than a typical mashed potato so I can hold up during cooking in the oven. Add chopped herbs and season with salt to taste. Place in piping bag with large star tip.
  3. In medium pan coat the bottom with canola oil and heat on medium high heat until oil ripples. Add ground meats. Stir until cooked through, breaking into small pieces. Season with salt. Sprinkle in flour, stir while cooking for a couple minutes. Add beef broth and simmer until thickened. Add root vegetables and heat through. Be sure to season with salt to taste.
  4. Spoon meat and vegetable mixture into either individual baking dishes or one large dish. Use piping bag with large star tip to pipe mashed potatoes on top in desired pattern. Whisk together one egg yolk and 2 tbsp of water- brush over top of potatoes. Bake at 400 for about 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned. Serve immediately.

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