This weekend, Tod made an incredible shepherd's pie. It's an adaptation of one from Alton Brown and it makes the best I've ever eaten. The reason it was so good is the large quantity of lamb fat and cream in it. If you are afraid of fat, this is not the dish for you. Otherwise, it is truly delicious and like most casserole things it is even better the second day.
It seems mostly adaptable to a variety of foodways. If you are gluten-free, use something other than wheat flour in the roux. If you are paleo, use sweet potatoes instead of white. If you are vegetarian, pick a different recipe.
High Fat Shepherd's Pie
serves 4
Filling
1 large onion
1 large carrot
1 clove garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
500 g lamb mince
2 Tbsp chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, savoury, thyme, etc)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
flour
water or stock
Topping
5 potatoes
1/4 cup cream or a bit more
1 egg yolk
While you are preparing the filling, also boil the potatoes, mash them and stir in cream and egg yolk until they are smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Finely mince the onion, carrot and garlic (a mandoline is perfect for this) and sauté in oil until the onions are translucent. Add the lamb and fry until the meat is cooked through and crumbled but not browned. At this point you are going to want to drain the fat, but don't! Sprinkle flour over the meat and onion mixture and stir until you have a glossy roux. How much flour will depend on how much fat is in teh pan. Ours was about 5 tablespoons. Let it cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to make sure the flour doesn't stick. Pour in a cup or two of liquid (how much will depend on the amount of roux you have). Season with Worcestershire and herbs. Allow the filling to simmer for a few minutes to thicken the gravy.
Pour the filing into a casserole dish. Spoon the potatoes on top and smooth across the filling. Bake at 190 for about 25 minutes or until the potatoes are browned.
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