Tomato Tomatoe

Shepherd’s pie

Growing up, I was never a fan of Shepherd’s pie or Cottage pie. My mom is Italian and my dad is Scottish, so naturally my mom would cook Shepherd’s pie for us from time to time. No offense to my mother, but it was just never a dish that I looked forward to. I kept seeing this dish all over social media and for some reason I felt intrigued enough to try making it myself. I loosely followed Gordon Ramsey’s recipe and made a few tweaks of my own and needless to say I became obsessed with this comfort meal.

A few things that made this dish memorable and delicious comes down to the type of beef you use. A good quality beef like grass-fed made a massive difference in terms of taste and quality. I highly suggest buying your ground meat directly from your local butcher or local farm. Trust me on this, it will make a world of difference. I also added cheese, cream and of course butter to the mashed potatoes which also added layers of flavour. I also used homemade beef stock which made a big difference in terms of taste as well. If you have the time, make your own beef stock!

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shepherd’s pie

Ingredients

• 2 carrots, diced finely
• 1 celery stalk, diced finely
• 2 onions, diced finely
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup homemade beef stock
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 lb grass-fed beef
• 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/4 cup cream
• 2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

Directions

1. Wash and peel the potatoes. Cut into cubes. Add the potatoes to a large pot filled with water and a five finger pinch of salt. Bring to a boil. Once at a boil, lower the heat to medium and cook until fork tender. Drain and mash until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add butter, cream and cheddar cheese. Mix to combine.
2. Cut all of the vegetables finely and set aside. Mince the garlic. Heat a large cast iron pan to medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Once the pan is hot, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Let this fry for 5-10 minutes. Add the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are tender. This should take 5-8 minutes.
3. Add garlic and tomato paste. Let this caramelize for a few minutes. Add the wine and cook for a few minutes. Add the beef stock and fresh rosemary. Cook this for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture becomes thick.
4. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. To a 13 x 9 inch baking dish, Add the beef mixture to a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Add the mashed potatoes on top and carefully smooth out with a spoon. Drag a fork lightly over the potatoes to create indentations. Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until it’s bubbling and golden.