When Mira and her friends were still one-year-olds and in that pickiest of picky-eating phases, I cooked up these shepherd’s pies for them as an experiment. Some of them, who ate most everything anyway, did not surprise us when they gobbled it down. Others, my daughter included, really did. Mira happened to be going through an exclusive rice-and-beans, Indian curry, and Quiche Lorraine phase at the time. She wouldn’t eat so many things. Still, when I put this down in front of her, she ate, if not the entire ramekin, a very nice Mira-sized helping.
The reason I mention this is that this is one of those dishes that is so easy to make in bulk, to freeze portions of, or serve to a crowd. You could easily swap out the meat involved depending on the time of year (ground lamb right now is too expensive, so we used ground beef). I’ve made a vegan version of this in the past by adding extra veggies to the bottom mixture and using olive oil and soy milk to make the mashed potatoes instead of the butter, and you can feel free to use sweet potatoes instead of the russets if you prefer the flavor or the color. That is to say that it is a dish of possibilities.
Oh, and while Shepherd’s Pie doesn’t technically hail from Ireland, it’s definitely from the other side of the Pond and would do well for those of you mums and dads today who, well, need something to soak up with after the partying. See. Possibilities. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Yummy Shepherd’s Pie
*1 1/2 lbs potatoes (russet, creamer, or sweet)
*6-8 T. butter, cut into tablespoon-sized chunks
*1/2 c. warm milk
*1 lb. ground beef, lamb, turkey, or chicken
*one large onion, finely chopped
*3 large carrots, minced (about 1 1/2 c)
*1/2 c. corn off the cob (frozen works well)
*1/2 c. peas (again, frozen is just fine)
*1/2 cup spinach, chopped
*1 t. Worchestershire sauce (or soy sauce)
*1 T. tomato paste
*1 T. flour
*salt and pepper to taste
*1 c. cheddar or Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Take out a 13×9-inch baking dish and a few small ramekins and set aside till ready to use.
Big Person: In a large skillet, cook the meat on medium heat till throughly browned. Place the meat in a fine mesh sieve with a bowl set underneath it so that the fat drains off of the meat.
Together: Meanwhile, you and your Yummy can fill a very big pot with water and throw in some salt (coarse salt is nice here if you have it)-just like you were salting pasta water, which is to say that it should taste roughly like sea water. Big Person will carry that over to your work space. There are two options now. If you’re working with a very small Yummy, you might want to go for the rustic version and simply scrub the potatoes together with a veggie brush. If, however, you are working with a Yummy who is 3 1/2 or older, try showing them how to peel the potatoes WITH you. Always peel away from your bodies, and please remember that peelers are sharp. i.e. Use your judgement.
Big Person: Chop the potatoes into large chunks.
Yummy: Put the potatoes chunks into the salty water. Then, go and draw a picture of shepherds, pies, and lots of vegetables.
Big Person: Put the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 10-20 minutes depending on the type of potato you are using.
In the same skillet you used to cook the meat, melt a tablespoon of butter. Saute the onion and the carrots till soft and translucent. Add the rest of the veggies and cook another two minutes. Pour in the meat, adding the tomato sauce and the Worchestershire sauce. Sprinkle the flour over everything, and give the mixture a good stir, cooking it a minute or two longer so that the flavors come together. Take this off of the heat and place in a bowl to cool down enough that your Yummy can work with it in a few minutes.
When the potatoes are tender, take the pot off of the heat and drain the water. Place the potatoes in a large bowl.
Together again: Have your Yummy mash the potatoes with a potato masher or a potato ricer. Add the rest of your butter. Pour in the milk. Now, whip this all together. You can use an electric mixer or a wooden spoon to do this part. Add a bit of salt and pepper at the end and give it a good stir.
Assemble: Cover the bottom of each ramekin and the baking dish with the meat mixture. Smooth out the layers. Then put the mashed potato layer on top and smooth with a rubber spatula.
Place the ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet. slide both the baking dish and the rimmed baking sheet into the oven. Bake the little ones for about 15 minutes or until browned. Bake the big guy about 30 minutes, or until browned. You can add the grated cheese at the very end, about 5 minutes before you pull these out of the oven. Turn the broiler on to brown the cheese.
