Celebrating Ground BEEF…
Shepherd’s pie: easy weeknight dinner, with left-overs
Here’s How:
Brown premium ground beef in a heavy skillet (we do a 2 lb batch for dinner for 3-4 plus left-overs), using a little vegetable oil or your preferred fat. (This method will work with any ground meat—try LAMB, GOAT, or a seasoned SAUSAGE for extra zip.)
Transfer the meat from the pan, leaving the drippings behind, and let hang out in a bowl while you sautee vegetables in the beef drippings. We start with diced onion and fennel bulb (one whole onion, 1 small/med fennel bulb), adding salt and pepper to your preference, and tuck whole sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary into the sautee. Then add really firm vegetables, like diced carrot (3 med/large ones) and celery root (about 2 whole), stirring occasionally while they soften. Meanwhile, dice potatoes (about 4 lbs) to boil for mash (we like waxy yellow spuds, with the skin left on, but whatever you like will work), and toss into boiling salted water with a smattering of whole garlic cloves.) Back to the vegetable sautee, add any softer veggies you might like, such as diced winter squash (half a butternut) or chopped leeks (one large one). Add a splash of wine if you like, and add a couple cups of stock (beef stock is ideal, but use any that you like), add the beef back in, and simmer until everything is just tender and you have a hearty stew. (We like it a little runny—the potato mash will sop that up nicely—but you could thicken with a roux if you like.) Adjust seasonings to your preference, and pull the whole herbs out.
Boil spuds until very soft and starting to fall apart, then drain off most of the water, mash and stir to puree, and add salt, pepper, and milk or cream until they whip up nice.
Transfer the stew to a pie pan or casserole. Top with the potato mash, and finish with a little grated cheese if you wish. Bake in a hot oven, about 425º, until the stew is bubbly and the potatoes brown on top. We serve it with hot sauce on the side.