A Shepherd's Pie
This dish has to be one of the simplest to make and it is always a home run. Delicious veggies in their own gravy topped with mashed root veg is immediate comfort food, and damn affordable too.
The exact contents of what I put in my pie changes as does the size depending on what I'm in the mood for, what's available, or who I'm cooking for. You can play around with spices and flavorings and make a whole host of Shepherd's Pies, each different, each delightful. A great way to warm up on a cold day! But let's talk about the basic format. Once you have the melody down you can improvise around it! First figure out how much you want/how many you are serving. I have made small amounts in an 8x8 pyrex (4 servings) and I have made large amounts in a 13x9 pyrex. (8 servings.) Whatever you choose you want enough veggies to fill the pan until only about an inch from the top ** WHEN COOKED** Yes that's correct, you are going to cook your veggies (or meat) BEFORE you place them in the casserole, so you want to make sure that you buy enough so that once they've cooked down you can still fill your pan.
My favorite ingredients to use, include, but are not limited to:
mushrooms (any kind, and often multiple),
peas,
leeks,
carrots,
parsnips,
celery,
beets,
and baby spinach.
You really can use whatever you like. Choose three or four vegetables & fungi that you like best and put them in. I don't use meat but it's another option especially if you have left overs. Shepard's pie is a GREAT way to re-invent left overs!
The topping can be made of a number of different pale-ish veggies, though I bet a sweet potato shepherd's pie with a corn, tomato, and black bean center would be amazing. I have found generally that adding just a widdle bit of potato ends up being necessary. It acts almost as a binder and keeps everything the right consistency. But you can cut that considerably by using mostly mashed cauliflower, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, or even jicama.
Flavorings. Well again think about what kind of a feel you want for your pie. For a more traditional pie you could use some red wine, (marsala is popular,) Worcestershire sauce, butter, pepper and just a pinch of coriander. (taste for salt)
However this is entirely up to you. For instance the sweet potato one would be awesome with cilantro, jalapeno, some chopped red onion and just a squeeze of lime juice. So there you go. Dream on, your tummy is the only limit to your imagination.
I also often temper an egg and add it to the filling before I place it in the dish. It acts as both a binder, and if you are not putting any meat in your pie, it's a great way to get just a little more protein. But, it's 100% optional.
The top of the pie is traditionally boiled, mashed- milk, butter, S&P added- with 1/2 tsp or so of nutmeg. But again get creative! Going back to our sweet potato you could use coconut oil, some apple cider, pepper and a little cayenne. Are you seeing where I'm going with this? There's not a lot of "wrong ways" to do this.
Thickeners. To create your gravy, your lipid or alcohol will help. As will the egg if you use one. Generally you also need to use just a little bit of something else. My fav all time thickener is xanthan gum. Once you know how to use it well, you can do a lot with it. But you can also use flour, chia meal, corn starch, whatever you like best and agrees with your tummy.
Directions:
1. The first thing to do, once you decided on your pan is to cook any root vegetable ingredients. This can take a little longer than some of the other veggies so boil your topping root veggies in a nice large pot with water covering them. Remember the smaller pieces you cut, the less surface area, the faster they'll cook up. Not all veggies have the exact same cook time so be sure to check that when you start. You can certainly keep the skins on and do a "smashed" topping just be careful with anything that's been waxed like jicama or rutabaga and remove ALL the waxy bits before boiling! If you're using root veggies in your center ala carrots or parsnips, chop them and add them to a large deep sauté pan with a little water and start cooking them covered. *If you want to use beets I suggest pressure cooking separately or buying precooked.
2. The rest of the veggies. After the tougher veggies are a little better than halfway cooked, add your other veggies/fungi. You can also feel free at this time to add your flavorings: lipids, wines, spices, dried herbs. If you want to use fresh herbs or citrus, wait until the end. Your veggies should be cooking uncovered at this point and there should be a lot of juices being released and hopefully it's also cooking down quite a bit. Once you have a good amount of juice whisk in your thickener. Again all are different so follow the directions to use the right amount.
3. Once your veggies are nice and soft, and their juices have cooked down and thickened a bit with your flavorings, you can feel free to temper and add your egg if you want to. Or you can stir in any fresh herbs or citrus juices.
4. Lightly grease your pan with your choice of lipid and place your filling mix inside. Get your oven preheating to 425F.
5. Once your topping has finished boiling and those veggies are nice and soft, drain, and mash/smash/rice/food process and add topping flavorings. Dollop that mixture on top of the other veggies, spreading to cover the entire dish right to the corners of the pan. At this point I like to sprinkle a little fresh ground pepper and paprika over the top for that pop of color and yummy flavor.
6. Then, and this is so easy, pop it in the over for ten minutes. That's it. You can even just broil it for the last couple minutes, essentially this dish is all cooked you're just browning and crisping that top up a bit.
7. This is also great to make in advance. Cook up your two halves and store them separately. Assemble an hour or so before serving and place in the oven for 1 hour at 375. *About 40 min for a very small one.
ENJOY!!!!!
BKBTY
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