Yes, I know
shepherd’s pie is usually made with lamb.
But what I had left over was beef so I gave it a go. It turned out great but I do warn you if you
try it that it takes ages to chop the beef up into small pieces by hand. Maybe I need to get a gadget that would do it
for me – but bench space is at a premium.
So I sautéed
onion, carrot, garlic, pumpkin (we use it as a vegetable in my part of the
world), a thumb of ginger (chopped).
Then I cooked
my potatoes (2), sweet potato (1) (or as we call it kumara) plus a large whole
clove of garlic. When they were just
tender I added some florets of cauliflower for no more than 3 minutes.
While the
potatoes etc were cooking I chopped up the leftover beef, being picky about
cutting out fat and sinew. Not an
exciting job – I suggest if you are doing it by hand you watch tv at the same
time.
I added the
meat to the onion mixture, 1 can of crushed tomatoes (I like Italian ones),
salt, pepper, a tablespoon or so of Worcestershire sauce, a splash of red wine
and some peas (frozen). I cheated a bit
by adding a packet cottage pie mix but you could use a dried tomato soup packet
or a bit of cornstarch mixed with cold water.
Then into an
oiled lasagne pan. For the topping you
mash up the potatoes, sweet potato and cauliflower well. Do them how you like them. I added butter, crème fraiche and a little
parmesan. Dollop it over the top of the
meat mixture as evenly as you can without getting too carried away about it.
Sprinkle a
little breadcrumb on top, pepper and salt and a few knobs of butter.
This looks wonderful! I love using pumpkin. My daughter adds pumpkin to her mac and cheese.
ReplyDeleteI am 'sharing' you with my Facebook Friends!
Thanks, Linda - hope today goes well for you all.
DeleteI have yet to try to make a shepherd's pie. Glad to know the beef option is a valid one. Nice post :)
ReplyDeleteIf you make one, you'll find it yummy. You can also make it with ground beef (whether leftover or fresh). If fresh, you just need to brown it with the onion first.
DeleteThis is a great version of shepherd's pie. I love squash (pumpkin or other) and both lamb and beef are welcome in this house. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. Thanks for commenting
DeleteLooks delicious! We'd enjoy your version of Shepherd's pie, my husband's favorite is with beef.
ReplyDeleteOn balance I prefer it with lamb - but this worked really well.
DeletePumpkin is an interesting ingredient, I would not have thought to use it here.
ReplyDeleteWe Kiwis love our pumpkin - we eat it as roast pumpkin all the time - and almost never as a sweet dish! there's no accounting for taste!
DeleteThat looks wonderful -- the sweet potato gave it a nice color.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it Joy
DeleteI'm not very good at taking leftovers and making it into something different! I do love a good shepherd's pie though. I think we call a pie like this made with beef cottage pie!
ReplyDeleteHi Marg. I call a cottage pie, one made with ground beef (ie not leftovers) and with a potato top. Shepherd's Pie is similar but made normally with leftover cooked lamb
DeleteIt looks like it turned out soo well!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up to This Flourishing Life's Menu Monday :)
We always made sheperd's pie made from beef ( know it's called something different when it's made with beef)and she always called it that. Your recipe reminds me of my mother's and I haven't had it in ages! Thanks for sharing this with the real food community at Whole Food Wednesdays.
ReplyDeleteWe prefer the beef to the lamb, yours looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteGreat use of your leftovers. I love recipes that don't let anything go to waste. Please bring this by my foodie friday party today.
ReplyDeleteThis looks delicious!! Thanks for linking up to Tasty Thursdays at The Mandatory Mooch. Can't wait to see what you link up this week. Thanks, Nichi
ReplyDeleteCarole ~ I love reading how you make things in your part of the world. It's so interesting and gives me new ideas!
ReplyDelete