One of my families favorite mid-week meals is Shepherds Pie. I have been making it long before my involvement in Ren Faires.
So simple to make yet so delicious.
My way is simple. Ground lamb fried up quick in the skillet. Removed, drained, and chopped up onion,carrots, whatever is in the frig. really, thrown in the skillet to sweat then the meat added back. Sometimes corn or peas.Sometimes I add fresh herbs from the garden. Sometimes I make homemade gravy sometimes store bought mixed in with all with the meat and veg. added to a pre greased baking dish, topped with mashed potatoes and popped in the oven. Green salad and rolls. Dinner is done.
How do the rest of you out there in tribe land make it?
Today on the food net/work, 'Tylers Ultimate' was in England making traditional one pot wonders. It got my cooking juices flowing.
So simple to make yet so delicious.
My way is simple. Ground lamb fried up quick in the skillet. Removed, drained, and chopped up onion,carrots, whatever is in the frig. really, thrown in the skillet to sweat then the meat added back. Sometimes corn or peas.Sometimes I add fresh herbs from the garden. Sometimes I make homemade gravy sometimes store bought mixed in with all with the meat and veg. added to a pre greased baking dish, topped with mashed potatoes and popped in the oven. Green salad and rolls. Dinner is done.
How do the rest of you out there in tribe land make it?
Today on the food net/work, 'Tylers Ultimate' was in England making traditional one pot wonders. It got my cooking juices flowing.
posted by:
|
Washington
|
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Wed, November 7, 2007 - 1:13 PMno peas, my husband can't stand them, lots of onions, a scoop of chopped garlic and (I know, I'm a heretic) I usually use ground beef-- I'm considering doing a 50/50 with ground turkey to see how it would turn out.
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Wed, November 7, 2007 - 2:51 PMWhat temperature do you put the oven on and how long do you bake it for? I have been wanting to try it but wasn't sure how to make it. Any tips would be wonderful. THANKS! -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Wed, November 7, 2007 - 3:06 PMJust like any casserole really. Because the meat and veggies are precooked in the skillet, your warming it all up with the gravy added to the mixture last and its nice to get just a little browning on the mashed potatoes. I use 350' oven myself.how long would depend on how large the dish and how browned you want the top of the potatoes.
Important to drain your meat well after cooking. 'Too much grease in the mix can make it bubble over in the oven. Placing the baking pan on a cookie sheet helps with this. I line my cookie sheet with a silpat mat. You could use foil. You can get fancy/shmancy with the mashed potatoes. Some butter, milk, garlic, added. This is a fun dish because you can keep it poor/man plain or get really creative. -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Thu, November 8, 2007 - 8:38 AMYou know, I've heard of rinsing your cooked ground beef to reduce the fat-- has anyone tried that? I would be afraid of having soggier meat!
I usually go for the extralean stuff and drain with paper towels. -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Fri, November 9, 2007 - 10:48 PMMy mom does it. She used paper towels or a coffee filter to get the water wicked away. To my taste, it actually makes the meat taste dry, since the fat is what gives it the mouthfeel of moistness we're accustomed to. If you're doing a wet application, such as chili or shepherd's pie, the added moisture would probably overcome that, but I still think some flavor is lost. -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, November 10, 2007 - 8:10 AMYes, I agree! You wash away some of the meaty juices as well as the fat. If you want to go leaner, perhaps some ground round or ground chuck instead of ground beef. Perhaps a substitution with ground turkey or venison.
-
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, November 10, 2007 - 8:54 AMooooo. Venison shepherd's pie....
It's good for breakfast too, right? :D -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, November 10, 2007 - 10:44 AMVenison...? Wouldn't that be " Poachers' Pie " ? Just sayin'...
-
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, November 10, 2007 - 6:05 PMI have used gound turkey and beef based gravy. Sort of defeats the leaner issue but taste great. Venison sounds good.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, November 10, 2007 - 10:57 PMYou make shepherd's pie??? I thought that was something you could only get if you went to the King's Head in Santa Monica!?!??!?!?! Wow, the things I learn every day. -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sun, November 11, 2007 - 7:47 AMThey DO have the BEST shepheards' pie.MMMmmmmm....
-
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Mon, December 10, 2007 - 1:42 PMOne thing also you can do if you are doing it in a larger dish (9 x 12) than single servings is to put a "crust" on the bottom. I do this for my "italian pie" and it works really well and makes it easier to serve the individual portions. I use Pilsburry crescent rolls lain out flat across the bottom of the pan. If you are cooking the pie for at least 25 - 30 minutes it will cook the dough fully. -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Mon, December 10, 2007 - 1:52 PMoh god, that sounds REALLY GOOD RIGHT NOW.
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Mon, December 10, 2007 - 4:52 PMOh darling Gab, what time is dinner?????? LOL It sounds wonderful!!!!!!!!!!
-
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 11:01 AMRe-reading this post made me hungry... when is lunch, again???
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Fri, January 25, 2008 - 8:18 PMShepherds pie topped with mashed potatoes has long bothered me so I'll pose the question.
Did Elizabethans top dishes with Mashed Potatoes? -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, January 26, 2008 - 8:17 AMiirc, Potatoes were along the lines of turkey at that time. New and exotic. So, I have no idea as to if they were even used as food. In a class I took for last Southern, I learned that they used bananas as suppositories, so who knows!
Anyway, would those Shepherd's Pies have real shepherd on top? ;-) (forgive me, I just recently saw 'Sweeney Todd'). -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, January 26, 2008 - 10:36 AMNow Bess, that's just silly. The shepherds are chopped up inside, not on top. -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, January 26, 2008 - 10:41 AMThat's not what Mrs. Lovett said:
"LOVETT:
It's fop.
Finest in the shop.
And we have some shepherd's pie peppered
With actual shepherd on top!"
So maybe it's an extra garnish.
-
-
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Sat, January 26, 2008 - 11:51 AMthey might have used mashed turnips instead of potatoes for the topping... of course, this is off the top of my pointy very sleep-deprived head, so please don't consider this an actual factual post, more like conjecture. ;) -
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Wed, January 30, 2008 - 2:08 AMPotatoes were viewed with skepticism by the Elizabethans, as were most members of the nightshade family (tomatoes and peppers) because... well... they were members of the nightshade family and people have a 'thing' about eating the fruits and roots of legendarily poisonous plants.
Parsnips perhaps?
-
-
-
Re: SHEPHERDS PIE
Wed, October 1, 2008 - 10:13 AMThe best shepherd's pie I've had in town is at Fox and Hounds in Studio City -
It's lean and juicy at the same time... no flour in the mix.... and no instant stock mix .. it's all from scratch. It's beef with minced onions and carrots inside with pure potatoey goodness on top.. and they'll melt cheddar on top if you ask.
(all the food there is really great - some really healthy too!)
And the best I've EVER had, hands down ( why are my hands down?) is at Raglan Road at Downtown Disney ORLANDO. ( I so wish they had one here ...weeps)
Mix of beef and lamb, molded in a round on a plate with a port wine beef redux around the bottom and RICH perfect mash taters on top..... serious, to the next level.... foodgasmic. It is the holy shepherd's pie of holys....
