I love English food. It gets a bad rap, supposedly being flavorless, but in truth it is rich, homey, and comfort food at its best. Especially in recent times, English food uses the freshest ingredients and homemade goods, particularly breads and jams, to be both satisfying and healthy. I have tried this particular recipe, shepherd's pie, many times, but only recently did I get it right where I wanted it to be. I don't claim cultural authenticity for this recipe; it is merely my own variation of a classic, and indeed several of its ingredients can be altered or other ingredients added without truly impeding the pleasure of the dish, such as the particular ground meat used, the vegetables added, etc. This is my personal take on it.
-Ingredients
For the filling:
2 tbsp. cooking oil (vegetable, corn, canola or non-extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion (I use Vidalia), diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound ground meat (I use turkey, but lamb is traditional, hence 'shepherd's')
4-5 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups stock or broth (I prefer beef, but any will do)
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. tomato paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried (or fresh chopped) rosemary and/or thyme
For the potato topping:
4 medium baking potatoes (preferably Russet or Yukon Gold), diced
1/2 cup whole milk, cream or half-and-half
In a large pot, full about halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and let boil while preparing other ingredients, until tender, about 15 minutes. In a medium-sized saucepan, add carrots and celery and cover with water, then boil until tender, about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
While vegetables are boiling, add cooking oil to a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet and bring up to medium-high heat. When hot, add diced onion, garlic and a pinch of salt, then sweat the onion, stirring occasionally, until most of its liquid has rendered and it is are translucent, about 5 minutes.
Then add ground meat and cook until browned, 8-10 minutes. Pour out any excess liquid rendered from the meat and add the flour. Cook, stirring, until the flour is absorbed and the raw taste has cooked out a bit, about 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in stock or broth, stirring, and bring to a boil. The liquid should be relatively thickened but not to gravy consistency.
Once finished boiling, drain the carrots and celery and add to the meat mixture. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste, then season with salt, pepper, chili powder and herbs, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
Once the potatoes are tender (they need not be overly soft, just breakable under pressure), drain them. Season with salt and pepper, add half the milk, then beat either by hand or with a mixer until smooth; they should be quite pureed, but not liquid, just to spreadable consistency. If needed, add the rest of the milk and mix until desired texture is achieved.
Transfer filling to a casserole dish, big enough to bring the filling close to the rim of the dish, about 8X10 (or simply leave in the skillet, if it's oven-safe, especially if using cast iron). Spread potatoes evenly over filling, to the edges, then bake in the oven until the potatoes are firm and gently browned, about 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
