Shepherd’s Pie
This classic English dish is pure comfort food, especially on a cold day while sitting in front of a crackling fire in an open stone hearth, with a book of Dickens stories in your lap… Sorry. I’m a bit of an anglophile romantic.
Ingredients
Filling:
1 Tbsp. olive oil or local sunflower oil
1 lb. ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp. each dried thyme, rosemary and sage (or sub 1 Tbsp. each fresh chopped herbs)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 medium carrots, cut into small dice
1 medium leek, cut in half lengthwise, rinsed well and thinly sliced
1 cup grated celeriac (celery root)
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3/4 cup beef or chicken stock
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
Topping:
3 medium gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup. whole milk or buttermilk
4 oz. grated medium or aged cheddar, divided
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 10-inch pie plate. Boil potatoes in salted water until just soft.
Meanwhile, in a large cast iron or heavy bottomed sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat oil then brown ground beef for a couple minutes (don’t fully cook it at this point), seasoning with a bit with salt and pepper.
Add herbs, onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
Add leeks and celeriac and cook another 5 minutes or so.
Add flour and stir for a minute, then add beef/chicken stock, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until liquid has evaporated.
Stir in peas then pour into prepared pie pan, smoothing the top.
Drain potatoes and mash with butter and milk until fluffy. Stir in half the cheddar. Spoon evenly over filling, creating some dips and crests in the topping with the back of your spoon. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.
Bake on center rack, with a large pan on the rack below it to catch any drippings, for 20 to 25 minutes, until topping is golden.
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