Shepherd's Pie

      Is it a pie?  Where's the defining crust?  Where's the shepherd and why do the Irish claim it?  Who cares - it's a rich, delicious, soul-satisfying dish that we don't have to wait for St. Patrick's Day to enjoy!  Sampling shepherd's pies about Ireland and England and even in the Staes at Irish pubs, this recipe is our absolute favorite.  With a hearty depth of flavor and the sharp bite of the Irish cheddar, I've never met a recipe to equal it.

      Our children had always wanted to visit Ireland, one island we had missed in our rompings about Europe so on one occasion when our flight from Tel Aviv back to summer vacation in the states had a particularly hard landing in Shannon - resulting in a delay -  I marched the kids out the front door of the airport and right back in again, and said,  "There, now you've visited Ireland"  What did they expect - that we would show them the whole world?  But we didn't get away with it and years later found ourselves eating shepherd's pie in various pubs, driving on the left side of the road, running into the hedgerows lining the narrow country roads and having a delightful time in a tiny rental car.  Even the dingy pub at the end of the street, recommended by our hostess, could not dampen our appetites.  Staying at the self-proclaimed "oldest thatched cottage in Ireland" in County Laois we were directed to the pub - just the first of many.  I should have ordered the pie - the corned beef was tough and leathery.  

Shepherd’s Pie
1/4 cup butter
1 pound ground beef or lamb
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 ounces fresh sliced mushroosm
1 bay leaf
2 tab. flour
1 cup rich beef stock
1/2 cup red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
pinch of nutmeg
2 tab. minced fresh parsley (or 1 tab. dried)
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut in half
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Irish cheddar, such as Dubliner
         or a sharp Wisconsin cheddar.  

          -Lightly grease a 6-cup baking dish and set aside.

          -Melt 2 tab. butter in a large sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add the meat and brown, about 3 minutes.  Add the onions, carrots, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp pepper and continue stirring for 2 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and bay leaf and cook until their liquid is absorbed, about 4 minutes. 

         -Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until
starting to color, about 1 - 2 minutes.  Gradually
add the stock, wine and Worcestershire sauce and
bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.  Cover
and simmer until thickened, about 20 - 25 minutes.

          -Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

          -Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a medium pot and cover with salted water.  Bring to boil and simmer until fork-tender.  Drain in a colander and return to the pot.  Over low heat, mash the potatoes until very smooth.  Add the remaining 2 tab. of butter, 2 tsp. salt and ½ tsp of pepper and mash to incorporate.  Add the heavy cream and mix well.  Remove from the heat.

          -Remove the pot with the meat from the heat.  Remove the bay leaf.  Spoon into the prepared dish and cover with the mashed potatoes, smoothing the top of piping in a decorative design.  Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake until browned, 10-15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and serve immediately.  Serves 8.

                                     Spoon prepared meat filling into baking dish. 

          

                         Pipe, spoon or spread potatoes over meat filling and 
                                               sprinkle liberally with cheese.

PERSNICKETY  NOTES:
     **Different variations of Shepard's Pie include peas or green beans.
  This one features mushrooms, but those may be left out and other
  vegetables added.

     **If you do  not like to use wine in cooking,  just increase the beef stock
  to 1 1/2 cups and add a tablespoon of vinegar, which will add the acidic
  edge the wine adds.

     **Taste the meat mixture for seasoning before spooning into the 
  casserole.  The natural salts found in the broth and wine can make the
  mixture a bit too salty, so start with less salt and add more if needed
  once all the ingredients have simmered together.  

    **For rich beef stock, homemade is the best version, but not many of
  us want to take the time to make it but if you already have it on hand or
  frozen, that would be the first choice.  Otherwise, the paste brand, "Better
  than Boullion" is the next best choice.