Shepherds Pie

Shepherds pie, what is it exactly?  Here is the answer I got from Wikipedia.

"Cottage pie, also known as shepherd's pie, refers to an English meat pie with a crust made from mashed potato and beef.  The term cottage pie is known to have been in use in 1791 when potato was being introduced as an edible crop affordable for the poor (cf. "cottage" meaning a modest dwelling for rural workers). 

"In early cookery books, the dish was a means of using leftover roasted meat of any kind, and the pie dish was lined with mashed potato as well as having a mashed potato crust on top.  The term "shepherd's pie" did not appear until the 1870s, and since then it has been used synonymously with "cottage pie", regardless of whether the principal ingredient was beef or mutton.  There is now a popular tendency for "shepherd's pie" to be used when the meat is mutton or lamb with the suggested origin being that shepherds are concerned with sheep and not cattle, however this may be an example of folk etymology."

What the heck does etymology mean?  Whatever it means now you know more than you ever wanted to about Shepherds Pie. 

I was watching my boy Alton Brown from Good Eats fame on the Food Network awhile back and he made Shepherds Pie.  I was a little curious since it is rare I eat lamb, in fact I can only think of one other time I ate lamb and that was about a 1-1/2 years ago when I tried lamb chops.  They turned out okay but nothing to write home about or on a blog for that matter.  But Alton made this look good, it had all the necessary ingredients for a good meal, meat, potatoes, and vegetables.  I mean how bad could it really be?  The only iffy part was the meat being lamb.  Since I was able and willing I thought why not and I also knew I wouldn't get Shepherds Pie out of my mind until I made it. 

So let's roll by introducing the supporting cast of characters first......

.......and of course the star of this weeks episode (we hope anyway).

It looks like hamburger to me.  How bad can it be I think the wife was a little skeptical when I told her I was buying lamb because she really didn't care for the lamb chops when we cooked them.  I told her we have to stay true to he original recipe and give it a try.  I think reluctantly she agreed so when Saturday rolled around we jumped into the car like we do every Saturday and headed for Whole Foods I wasn't sure where else I could find lamb but I knew Whole Foods would have it.

Did you notice that jar in the cast of characters pic above? A couple of weeks ago I decide to make my own chicken broth, it is easy to do, chicken parts, celery, carrots, onions, pepper and a little salt. Pretty simple list of ingredients and from there let it simmer away on the stove for awhile. Since I now have my pressure cooker here with me I can can chicken broth again. It is so much richer than what you can buy out of the store, not to mention you can control the amount of salt that goes into it too.

First things first and we need to make a load of mashed potatoes. I really don't think you need instructions on making mashed potatoes so I will just get on with it. These mashed potatoes won't be served on the side, oh no, these potatoes will be served on top of the Shepherds Pie.

It already looks good enough to eat but we aren't done yet. To the oven we go and let it cook until the top browns, about 35-40 minutes.

Not bad, maybe a little to many potatoes this time but still not bad.  I think I will give it a 3.75 out of 5 forks. Is lamb my favorite? No and that is why I can't give it a higher score. The lamb certainly did have a different flavor than beef and I think it is worth eating just because it is something different so I will make it again. If you are into comfort foods and like lamb this is definitely worth a try.

Shepherd's Pie

For the original recipe please click here.