My Mother In Laws Shepherds Pie Recipes

MY MOTHER'S SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• For the potato topping: Peel and cube the potatoes into 1-inch dice. Put in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Season the water with salt and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and pass through a ricer. Add the milk, sour cream, melted butter and egg yolks to the potatoes and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a medium saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the pearl onions and cook, shaking the pan occasionally so the onions brown on all sides, until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large ovensafe shallow braising pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until the onions are slightly browned and soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until the lamb cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste, flour and sherry vinegar and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, peas and carrots and pearl onions and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.
• For the additional topping: Top the lamb mixture with an even layer of the potato topping. Drizzle with the melted butter and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Transfer to the oven and bake until the topping is lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Garnish with additional parsley.

MY MOTHER'S SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• For the potatoes: Peel and cube the potatoes into a 1-inch dice. Put in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Season the water with salt and bring to a boil. Boil the potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and pass through a ricer. Add the milk, sour cream, melted butter and egg yolks to the potatoes and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.
• For the filling: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the pearl onions and cook, shaking the pan occasionally so the onions brown on all sides, until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• In a large shallow ovenproof braising pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until the onions are slightly browned and soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the lamb is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste, flour and sherry vinegar and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, peas and carrots and pearl onions and bring to a boil. Spoon off any excess fat. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.
• Top the lamb mixture with an even layer of the potatoes. For the topping: Drizzle the potatoes with the melted butter and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Transfer to the oven and bake until the potatoes are lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Garnish with additional parsley.

DARINA ALLEN'S SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Cook the duck: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season duck generously with salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan in one layer. Scatter with onion, carrot and celery, thyme sprig, bay leaf and allspice, then add broth and wine (liquid will not cover). Roast, uncovered about 30 minutes, until skin has browned nicely. Turn legs over, cover pan tightly and return to oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Cook 1 hour, or until meat is quite tender when probed with a fork.
• Remove legs from pan and set aside to cool on a baking sheet. Pour liquid from roasting pan into a measuring cup. There should be about 3 cups; add broth if necessary. Spoon off any rising fat (save if you wish for another use). When duck meat is cool enough to handle, pull it off the bones and roughly chop, discarding gristle and skin. (This step may be done up to 2 days in advance, if desired.)
• Make the filling: In a wide, heavy skillet or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Add flour, stir well to coat and continue cooking until mixture is a nutty brown, about 5 minutes more. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the braising liquid, whisking well as mixture thickens and reducing heat to a simmer. Taste and add more liquid as needed until you have a medium-thick gravy. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Off the heat, carefully fold in chopped duck meat and parsley. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish or 4-quart casserole.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes and parsnips. When water returns to the boil, adjust heat to a brisk simmer and cook until completely tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain in a colander, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return potatoes and parsnips to pot and mash with 6 tablespoons butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper, thinning with a little cooking liquid if mixture seems dry.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Drop large spoonfuls of the mash evenly over filling. Use a knife or spatula to spread mixture until it evenly covers the top. Cut the 2 tablespoons butter into small chunks, dot over the top, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until bubbling at the edges and well browned on top, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool at least 10 minutes before serving.