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Props if you catch the reference.
Now... like I said, I was thinking about shepherds pie last night. So of course I couldn't sleep until I made it.
... It was a catastrophe!!!
But I got some good ideas for next time.
For this pie you will require a pie tin.
A masher or hand mixer
A pressure cooker or heavy duty pot
A 10-12 inch skillet
One portion of ox tail
One slice of ox shank
2-3 cups of ground or stew lamb meat
One and a half cups of beef stock/broth
2/3 to One cup of DARK dry red wine
Thyme, salt, pepper,
1 1/2 russet potatoes
1/4th-1/2 a white onion
2 cloves garlic
Cheeze!!! ... of your choice, more on this later.
Oh... and we're gonna fuck this up a bit next version.
Portion your potatoes into 1 inch cubes shaved and naked.
Put your potatoes and shank/tail into your pressure cooker and add the wine, beef stock, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, 2-3 springs of thyme, and lid that sucker up nothing over 350 for 10-12 minutes. Tall portions of ox tail are better here as they will be easier to harvest the meat from. Shank is here because it adds less fat and more beef than the tail.
While that's boiling up, go chop up that onion (I used rustic chops not dice) grab 2 cloves of garlic minced, and the lamb- saute on medium heat til it's browned through and set it on low while the beef and spuds finish.
Gently let the steam out after the timer's up (or when you think your pressure cooker can't stands no more) seperate the spuds and the meat with some liquid left for the spuds to whip/mash together. When its got a decent texture and still a LOT of heat, add little over a cup of your favorite melty cheese. This could be cheddar, bleu, brie, parmesan, mozorella- whatever. It's your damn pie. I used brie cuz I had brie. If I had parm, I would've used parm.
Now for the pie tin
Take a bit of your potato whip and add it to the bottom of the pie tin, making a thin layer at the bottom, then take your lamb, beef (after harvesting it from the bone) onions, garlic and as much of the remaining broth/liquid as you can without getting things too soppy. Next add your remaining spuds to the top of the stew like a pie crust top, and at this point you could add bread crumbs, more cheese, a mince of shallot and garlic- whatever- and then pop it into your oven's broiler for about 4 minutes until the top gets crispy and brown.
Pull it out, let it cool a few seconds, and grab a serving utensils. Bowls may be appropriate here depending on the liquid content. I like stew, so I used bowls.
...
Now for version 2.
Pretentious Shepherd's Pie.
For this you will need...
Enough pilenta and parmesan cheese (instant or however you want it) to make a bottom cake for the pie.
Water cress and parsley stems cut into cm cubes (why? cuz FUCK CELERY!)
lamb stew meat
beef or lamb stock and a few pinches of ap flour
salt, pepper, thyme,
finely minced carrots (only a few fingerfuls per pie)
finely minced garlic and shallot
diced onion
diced red potatoes with skin
Thinly sliced fingerlings
In one pot- get the pilenta done, when finished and warm mix in some cheese.
Fry your fingerlings like chips
in cm cubes boil or fry/saute (country potatoes) the red spuds
meanwhile Saute the meat and veggies then remove any solids, deglaze with the stock and add flour whisking constantly til you have gravy- add some butter maybe for some shine.
Get some bottomed metal ring molds about 2 inches high about 4-5 inches in diameter
add your cheesey grits to the bottom of the molds, then the meat and veggies with gravy, then layer on the red spuds (you could do a whip top if you do, broil it... but I'm not going to let you this time) you could even put these molds on the burner or a flat top to finish the pilenta or spuds more... but let's not.
Drizzle on some remainder gravy, Add the fingerling chips fanned out on top of the pie, add a sprig of the watercress or parsley leaves. Maybe a dollop of sour cream and some chives.
That's right.
I totally went there.
Now ... you don't have to do the pilenta, you wanna stay more country? Well, I guess you cou could do ... hashbrowns! crispy crusty hashbrowns!!!
... just make sure you get a nice circular crispy bottom... which you could use the ring mold to cut. Dur.
Oh.. and I suppose you could use a cured ham product or country ham to add some funk.
Results will not vary. This is going to rock.
