Shepherd’s pie: reinventing a delicious classic
Classic North American shepherd’s pie gets a makeover
CLASSIC SHEPHERD’S PIE
Purists would argue that carrots do not belong in shepherd’s pie, but I like the sweetness they add, and how can you knock excess vegetables? If you want even more, add a cup of frozen peas to the meat mixture before baking. This entire dish can be made a day in advance and kept refrigerated (well covered). But it should be baked it only the day it’s served.
Serves: 8
For the potatoes:
1 1/2 lb (680 g/about 4) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered 3 tbsp (45 mL) unsalted butter, plus a bit extra for the topping 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk
1/4 cup (60 mL) cream
1 egg yolk
Salt and pepper
Paprika
For the filling:
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil 1 cup (250 mL) chopped onion 2 carrots, peeled and diced 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lb (907 g) medium ground beef or minced lamb
Salt and pepper
3 tbsp (45 mL) all-purpose flour 1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste 1 cup (250 mL) broth ( beef, vegetable or chicken)
1 tsp (5 mL) soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 cup (250 mL) fresh or frozen corn kernels
14 oz (398 mL) can cream corn
1. Place the potatoes in a medium pot, cover with cold water, add a spoonful of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower to a simmer and cook until they are easily pierced with a knife, 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Drain, place back in the pot, and mash until smooth. Stir in the butter. Heat the milk and cream together and gradually stir into the potatoes along with the egg yolk.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside in a warm place.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 F (205 C) and set the baking rack in the middle position. Prepare an 8-x10-inch (20-x-25-cm) ceramic or glass baking dish.
5. While preparing the potatoes, start the filling. Sprinkle the oil into a large frying pan set over medium-high heat.
6. When the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the onion and carrots, and sauté for about five minutes. Add the garlic, stir and fry for another minute.
7. Add the beef in one shot, season with salt and pepper, and fry until the meat is browned through, stirring and breaking up any large pieces as you go.
8. Sprinkle the flour over the meat, stir to coat, and continue to cook for a few minutes more. Stir in the tomato paste, followed by the broth, soy or Worcestershire sauce and thyme, and stir until well combined.
9. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook
10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
10. In the meantime, stir together the creamed corn and corn kernels in a small pot, bring to a boil, and remove from heat.
11. Spread the beef mixture into the base of your baking dish, then spread the corn mixture over top.
12. Spoon the potatoes over the corn in dollops, and spread them out making a decorative swirl if you like. Drop a few pieces of cold butter over top and sprinkle over the paprika.
13. Bake for 25 minutes or until the filling underneath bubbles. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Do you like shepherd’s pie? I never did. One glance at the layers of ground beef, corn and mashed potatoes and I was always transported back to my school cafeteria — or any cafeteria — where shepherd’s pie is as ubiquitous as bad lasagna.
Well at least in Quebec that’s the case, where shepherd’s pie goes by the name of pâté chinois. Perhaps coming in third in popularity after poutine and pouding chômeur, pâté chinois is a favourite dish more often found on steam tables and in home kitchens than fancy restaurants.
But that’s changing as the trend toward reinventing classic dishes now extends to this favourite.
The Brits love their shepherd’s pie, which is traditionally made with lamb (thus the shepherd reference). The dish made with minced beef is called cottage pie.
The French have a version too called “hachis parmentier” that has a gratinéed layer of Gruyère overtop.
But that’s just the beginning. You can make shepherd’s pie vegetarian with a lentil bolognese on the base and, instead of the usual spuds, how about polenta? Or you can go more complex as is the case in the pâté chinois of Montreal chef Samuel Pinard whose version of shepherd’s pie includes braised veal, duck, caramelized onions and smoked Gouda. Yum!
To show the two faces of this favourite, here are two versions: first the classic, which I’ve gussied up; the second, Pinard’s version with more bells and whistles.
SAMUEL PINARD’S DELUXE PÂTÉ CHINOIS
If you can’t find duck confit, add any other meat of choice or omit it entirely. This shepherd’s pie is not baked in a dish, but assembled on each plate individually. Chef Samuel Pinard serves this with green tomato ketchup, also called chow chow.
Serves: 4
1 lb (454-g) veal blade roast
1 cup (250 mL) beef stock
1 leg duck confit, skinned and sliced into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces 3 Spanish onions, peeled and sliced as thinly as possible
2 tbsp (30 mL) butter
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
3 oz (86 g) smoked Gouda or aged cheddar, grated
3/4 cup (180 mL) corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup (125 mL) butter 3 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in quarters 1/3 cup (80 mL) 35 per cent cream Salt and pepper to taste
1. Prepare the braised meats: Preheat your oven to 325 F (160 C).
2. Season the veal with salt and pepper, place it in a lidded pot that will hold it snugly in one even layer, pour over the beef stock, cover with the lid (or tightly with tin foil) and slow-roast until the meat is very tender, about 3 hours.
3. Remove from the oven, lift the meat out of the pan, (reserve the juices) and cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes. Mix in the duck meat.
4. Pour the braising juices into a mediumsized pot and reduce by half, or until the sauce is thickened enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon.
5. Stir in the reserved meats and keep warm (this mix can be completed a day ahead and refrigerated).
6. Meanwhile, prepare the onion confit:
In a large Dutch oven, melt the 2 tbsp
(30 mL) of butter along with the oil. When it foams, add all the onions and sprinkle with salt.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pot so that the onions collapse under the heat, about 10 minutes.
8. Remove the lid and continue cooking and stirring for about 45 minutes, or until the onions are soft and a deep golden colour. Check seasonings, and then stir in the grated cheese. Set aside.
9. Prepare the corn: Melt the 1/2 cup
(125 mL) butter in a saucepan over medium heat and, when bubbling, add the corn.
10. Cook stirring gently until the kernels are tender, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside in a warm place.
11. Make the mashed potatoes: Cook the potatoes in plenty of salted boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well, pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill into a non-stick pan.
12. Heat over medium-high and stir in all but a spoonful of the butter from the corn mix. Continue stirring while gradually adding in the cream.
13. Stir constantly until the mix starts to stick to the base of the pan. Remove from the heat and keep warm in the pan.
14. To serve: Make sure all the elements — meat, caramelized onions, corn, potatoes — are hot, reheating them if necessary.
15. Divide the meat with some juices over four, warmed dinner plates. Spoon over the onion mixture, then the buttery corn kernels and finish with a dollop of mashed potatoes.
16. With a plastic spatula, scrape up the potato that has stuck to the base of the nonstick pan, and use it to garnish the top of the potatoes on each plate. Serve hot, with a spoonful of ketchup or green ketchup.