Shepard's pie recipes anyone?

[AKScott]

I found two older threads, both locked over a year, and "internal server error #500" when I tried to open them. Hmmm. I bet you folks know a good shepard's pie when you sit down to one.

Here is mine to get the ball rolling. I must pay respects to a cookbook published by the San Diego firefighters sometime before 2004. I tweaked it, a lot, but it was my starting point.

13x9x2 inch pan.

3-5 carrots, peeled and sliced, barely simmered 15-30 minutes in just enough water to cover with 1/4 cup honey. It is important to use just enough water to cover the carrots, and add the honey to very hot water. If the honey is added to cold water it will sit in the bottom of the pan and scorch.

I use a strainer over and over, start with a clean one and toss it in the dishwasher when you are done. Moving on.

3-5 parsnips (the albino carrot looking things), peeled, sliced up and simmered in just enough beef stock to cover 15-30 minutes. I buy beef stock in the 1 quart boxes and use it regularly. I will only make beef stock from scratch for stuff like French onion soup where the beef stock is central. Or prime rib au jus, just throw some oxtails in the roasting pan (sort of)

2 medium turnips, (turnip, rutabaga, my wife and I still argue about which is which. I use the white ones with the purple tops) peeled, diced, simmered in just enough chicken stock to cover 15-30 minutes. See above re commercial boxed stocks, I hardly ever make chicken stock from scratch (I think the last time was 1990 something). Look for the low sodium/ no MSG versions.

1 pound ground lamb, browned gently in cast iron skillet, thoroughly drained.


2-3 # beef roast, diced and agressivley freed of connective tissue. Brown in light oil and cook through. I use setting 7:10 generally on electric stoves, browned not blackened.

Pour off (reserve) the beef juices and in the same skillet soften one onion coarsely chopped with 3-6 stalks of sliced celery. Add two cloves finely chopped garlic when onion is soft, perhaps a finely sliced shallot. When garlic is fragrant pour in about 1 cup of fruit juice (I am partial to apple but flexible), scrape flavor crystals off bottom of skillet with a spatula, add one cup each beef and chicken stock and the reserved beef juices, turn heat to high, bring to a boil with perhaps a spring of thyme. Leave thyme sprig in skillet...

In baking pan combine cooked vegetables, cooked meats and stir together. Pour on cooked onion, celery, garlic and liquid.

Peel and slice 3 medium largish sized potatoes. Boil to doneness, mash with 2-4 T butter and 1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream. Spread mashed potato over pie. Refrigerate up to 36 hours, reheat through in 350°F oven before serving, (perhaps 30 minutes after an overnight in the fridge) garnish with finely chopped parsley.

I have never had leftovers from one of these last past breakfast the next morning. Works fine with Chipotle Tabasco, freaking ketchup, HP sauce and several quality mustards. I like fresh ground pepper and kosher salt myself.

I did try simmering the turnip in beef stock with the parsnips in chicken stock once, never again. My trencherman teenagers didn't notice the difference, but I did. Something synergystic about parsnips and beef. Prep time 90-120 minutes. Heats up quick after church when I make it Saturday afternoon.

I am sure this recipe is not 100% authentic. I look forward to hearing other ideas that are working for you.

[imnothng]

Well I was schooled by a scot in a pub once about the fact that shepherds pie is with lamb and cottage pie is with beef.

So I don't actually have a recipe for shepherd's pie, as the wife and I can't stand lamb. But the following is a very simple recipe that my wife makes for Cottage Pie.

1lb. Ground Beef
Some corn, onion, garlic, and mushrooms.
Beef and/mushroom Gravy (some in the meat and some to top the finished pie)
Standard Italian seasoning (don't shoot me, lol)
Potatoes
Cheese
Can of Cream of Mushroom Soup

Brown the beef and add the onion, corn, mushrooms, seasoning, some gravy and the mushroom soup. Mix some cheese (I've used goat, cheddar, mozzarella, herb&garlic cream cheese, basically whatever), milk and butter when mashing the potatoes.
Pour the beef mixture into a dish and top with potatoes. Bake for a while until the tops of the potatoes are starting to turn golden, probably about 30mins.
Put some gravy on top of the servings if desired and enjoy.

I would like to add more veggies, but the wife won't let me...

[MadMouser]

Here's ours:

1# of either ground bison or ground lamb, browned and drained of excess fat
mashed potatoes
canned green beans
canned corn
some sort of smoked cheddar
cream of mushroom soup

Layer in a glass baking dish like so:

meat
soup
green beans
potatoes
corn
cheese

Bake until nice and bubbling and the cheese has started to brown up.

Enjoy!

[piperdbh]

As I understand it, the difference between turnips and rutabagas is somewhat geographical in nature. What we in the US call rutabagas, in the UK are called turnips. Something like this:


Turnips look like this:

[Really a McQueen]

After reviewing the Wikipedia pages for Rutabaga and Turnip, I'll just go along with what my grandfather McQueen called them. He was born and raised in Manitoba, and referred to the rutabaga as a 'yellow turnip' or a 'Swede', and the 'white' varieties as turnips.

Pappy said that his grandmother preferred to use the 'Swedes' when she made neeps and tatties. And since she had been born in Stirlingshire, Scotland, I'll defer to this part of family tradition in my usage of these root vegetables.

Personally, I prefer the texture of the locally grown 'Swedes' when used with locally grown 'Yukon Gold' potatoes for 'neeps and tatties'. The local turnips are better for soups or stews.