I've been itching to make Alton Brown's shepherd's pie from "Oh My, Meat Pie" since finding the recipe online a few days before the episode aired. I enjoy shepherd's pie but rarely ever make it. After rewatching the episode a couple of times, I think the show is a lot better than I initially thought.The recipe from the episode looked very tasty. Really, doesn't all of AB's food look tasty? Anyway, I thought this would a great recipe to try for my recipe of the week.
First problem I knew to expect coming out of the gate was locating ground lamb. I've been on this search before when attempting to make AB's gyros. Instead of heading to every mega-mart in the valley, I opted to make the shepherd's pie with beef. I guess, that would make it a cowboy pie? Maybe?
Oh well, it's going to be tasty! I know that because in all of the years of making recipes from Good Eats and Alton's cookbooks, they always turn out great and are so yummy.
It all started with making the mashed potato topping. Simply cook one and half pounds of russet potatoes until folk tender, about 10-15 minutes. Once the potatoes are done, add 1/4 cup of half-and-half, two ounces of butter and one egg yolk and mash until smooth.
The filling, which in AB's recipe calls for one and a half pounds of lamb, was equally simple to construct. Mine started in the trusty 10-inch cast iron skillet by cooking two diced carrots and one cup of onions. The carrots and onion only need to cook for a few minutes to get some color, then include two cloves of garlic to the mix.
Add the meat and cook it thoroughly. When the meat is cooked, sprinkle on two tablespoons of AP flour and mix it into the meat and cook for about a minute. Add two teaspoons of tomato paste, a cup of chicken broth, one teaspoon of Worcestershire, two teaspoons of fresh rosemary and one teaspoon of fresh thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until it is thickened a bit.
Now add 1/2 cup each of frozen corn and peas. I decided to keep the meat mixture in the cast iron skillet instead of transferring to a baking dish as the recipe says to do. Next, place dollops of the mashed potatoes on top if the meat and smooth with a rubber spatula and seal the edges to prevent spillage.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Then wait 15 minutes before serving.
The meat pie is excellent. For certain, a make again recipe! I will seek out some ground lamb and if it can be found, I will compare the two versions. As it stands now, the beef adapted is mighty fine. Thanks, Alton for another great recipe and good eats! :)
AB's Shepherd's pie recipe
First problem I knew to expect coming out of the gate was locating ground lamb. I've been on this search before when attempting to make AB's gyros. Instead of heading to every mega-mart in the valley, I opted to make the shepherd's pie with beef. I guess, that would make it a cowboy pie? Maybe?
Oh well, it's going to be tasty! I know that because in all of the years of making recipes from Good Eats and Alton's cookbooks, they always turn out great and are so yummy.
It all started with making the mashed potato topping. Simply cook one and half pounds of russet potatoes until folk tender, about 10-15 minutes. Once the potatoes are done, add 1/4 cup of half-and-half, two ounces of butter and one egg yolk and mash until smooth.
The filling, which in AB's recipe calls for one and a half pounds of lamb, was equally simple to construct. Mine started in the trusty 10-inch cast iron skillet by cooking two diced carrots and one cup of onions. The carrots and onion only need to cook for a few minutes to get some color, then include two cloves of garlic to the mix.Add the meat and cook it thoroughly. When the meat is cooked, sprinkle on two tablespoons of AP flour and mix it into the meat and cook for about a minute. Add two teaspoons of tomato paste, a cup of chicken broth, one teaspoon of Worcestershire, two teaspoons of fresh rosemary and one teaspoon of fresh thyme. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until it is thickened a bit.
Now add 1/2 cup each of frozen corn and peas. I decided to keep the meat mixture in the cast iron skillet instead of transferring to a baking dish as the recipe says to do. Next, place dollops of the mashed potatoes on top if the meat and smooth with a rubber spatula and seal the edges to prevent spillage.
Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Then wait 15 minutes before serving.
The meat pie is excellent. For certain, a make again recipe! I will seek out some ground lamb and if it can be found, I will compare the two versions. As it stands now, the beef adapted is mighty fine. Thanks, Alton for another great recipe and good eats! :)
AB's Shepherd's pie recipe
5 comments:
I believe with beef it's called cottage pie. Which makes me realize I've never actually eaten true shepard's pie before. :( I want to try it.
Poor baby sheep. I might try it with ground chicken or turkey, even though it will obviously be a bit dry.
If this is the episode that plays off of Sweeney Todd, then it's one of my faves. Despite the fact that Alton's fake accents are always atrocious, at least he tries, hehe.
I can't find the post on his website anymore, but when Alton used to blog in his "Rants" section on his official site, he said he was on a mission to lose '20 pounds of disgusting backfat and blubber' and was going to cut out all desserts and hydrogenated fats from his diet.
Obviously, he hasn't cut the fat out of his recipes.. the show would cease to exist if the tried that.. but has anybody else noticed how much more slim he is now than just a couple years ago?
I, however, don't necessarily believe it's a good thing. He seems a little sickly.
He needs to eat more of his shepherd's pie!
Luke, I too share your affection for the cute baby sheep, I think they are adorable. However, chickens and turkeys are a handful of weeks old when ready for market themselves. Don't let the tender age of the livestock keep you from enjoying truly good eats!!
lol, I know, it's hypocritical of me to refrain from consuming one animal and partaking in the demise of another.. but mammals are on a different emotional plane for me as compared to birds.
That being said, many scientists claim the average chicken has the mental capacity of a 3-year old child, so I shouldn't completely write them off.
I made this dish several weeks after the episode first aired. Since I was fresh out of shepherds, I used a 50/50 mix of ground beef and ground pork sausage. This was the only change from Alton's recipe.
Just like Lisa and Alton, I left mine in the cast iron frying pan instead of transferring to a casserole.
It was one of the best meat pies I have ever had and will be making again soon!
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