Pie in the Sky

Sheppard's Pie. It was certainly a "pie in the sky" endeavor, especially trying to find minced lamb in September. I know it's a little early to be pulling out the St. Patrick's Day menu, but it was a special request this week. I am still working on it, but this recipe was much better than most we've tried. Greg found the recipe online. He said that it was more "legit" because the guy used grams for the measurements, hence he must be European. Hence, he must know how to make bangin' Sheppard's Pie. Obviously.

 

 

 We never did find minced lamb, although I'm sure a trip over to whole foods would have done the trick. So, this is just plain ole' ground beef. I'm sure the lamb would have tasted much much better. 

Ok, I know it's a little weird, but I love seperating the egg yolk from the whites. I think the yolk is so cute, just sitting there like a little, yellow..... ball of cuteness. I broke the first one, but this one stayed intact the whole time. It's the simple pleasures....

See the yolk still sitting there in the potatoes, like a little cherry on top of a sundae?

 

 

Ta Da!

 

It was pretty successful. Greg had three helpings of leftovers the next night, so I suppose he kinda liked it.

The Recipe - 

For the meat filling:

• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1 lb of minced lamb
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1/2 white wine
• 2 medium carrots diced
• 1 cup peas 
• 1 cup of beef broth
• 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce (puree)
• a dash of Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Potato Filling:

• 2 pounds of potatoes ( I used 5-6 red potaotes)
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of softened butter
• 2 small egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• a few pinches of nutmeg

Directions:

Fill a pot with water and a pinch of salt. Boil washed halved potatoes uncovered for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and remove peels.

Meanwhile, heat up a large pan with olive oil and cook diced onions on medium heat until slightly translucent (about 10 minutes). Then, add garlic and stir for another 30 seconds. Add bay leaf, minced beef, and white wine. Deglaze by boiling over high heat for about 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce and cook until liquid is reduced by half (about 7 minutes). Add carrots, peas, broth, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cover the pan and simmer at low heat for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Add the potato ingredients and mash together. Scoop the meat filling into an oven-safe dish. Spread the potato topping on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the potatoes are golden. Serve hot.

Thanks for reading my thoughts about food! Enjoy the recipe!