Recipe: Shepherd's Pie

Sometimes, you just need the comfy classics: savory pies, soups, casseroles. They are also useful for cleaning out the fridge. They're the perfect place to use up tired veggies. 

I often use some thinly sliced potatoes on top of my Shepherd's pie instead of a mash. But I'm trying to wean myself off potatoes for a while, and happened to have a head of cauliflower and a leftover parsnip, so I made mashed cauliflower. 

Probably more carbs than the thinly sliced potatoes, but it was tasty.

Filling

1 lb ground lamb 

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1/2 cup chopped mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped sweet pepper

1 carrot, diced

1/2 parsnip, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup Medium Amontillado Sherry (or other wine)

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp concentrated Italian tomato paste (the kind that comes in a tube)

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tsp mild Numex chile powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground  cardamom

1/2 tsp ground clove

2" piece of cinnamon stick (crumbly Ceylon/true cinnamon, not the hard Cassia bark)

Salt & pepper to taste

Olive oil

Cauliflower mash

1 head cauliflower, broken into pieces

1/2 parsnip (the big, woodier end) roughly chopped

1 cup chicken stock

Water to cover

2 tbsp whey

2 tbsp cream

1 tsp smoked paprika 

Salt & pepper to taste

I described the basic process for cooking the filling in The proper order of things. While you're cooking, heat the oven to 400 degrees.

For the mash:

1. Add the cauliflower & parsnip to a pot with the chicken stock and enough water to cover. Add some salt, but don't overdo it--you can season to taste at the end. 
2. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the cauliflower & parsnips are fork tender.
3. Strain and offload to a bowl.
4.  Lightly "mash" the cauliflower & parsnips with a stick blender. Leave it a little chunky.
5. Add the whey, cream, & paprika and mix to the desired consistency with the stick blender. 
6. Season to taste with salt & pepper. 

Why add whey? It adds a bit of zing and some protein. I happened to have some from making yogurt. I made the yogurt so I could make some lacto-fermented mayonnaise with the whey. Why on earth would I bother to do that? I wanted to make some pure olive-oil mayo and it keeps longer if you ferment it. If it all goes according to plan, that will be another post.

Finishing the pie

Since I cooked the filling in my trusty cast iron pan, that's what I baked the pie in. Once the filling was reduced and seasoned to taste, I smeared the mash over the top & popped it in the oven for about 25 minutes--until the top was starting to brown & the filling was bubbling through. 

WARNING! If you bake in your cast iron pan, I highly recommend a pair of heat-resistant grilling gloves.  This isn't a referral link, I've just seen the results of grabbing the handle of a cast iron pan that's been in the oven bare handed. Please don't do that.