Irish Shepherd’s Pie makes hearty St. Patrick’s meal
Kale adds a green touch to Irish Shepherd's Pie
Meat potatoes and a green vegetable are the main elements of traditional Irish dinners. I have several recipes for Corned Beef and Cabbage, but I don’t really like that meat choice, so I decided to try a version of shepherd’s pie with ground beef. Cheesy potatoes top this hearty Irish Shepherd’s Pie, which does include a healthy portion of vegetables, with nearly half the mixture containing peas and carrots.
This is one of those dishes I love to smell cooking. Onions and garlic fry into a tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Then comes the beef and spices, which make the kitchen smell so fragrant with caraway seed and paprika.
Talk about filling. I only had one medium-sized portion and I was not hungry for the rest of the day. This is definitely a recipe I’ll make again. I tried a really simple kale pairing for some added veggies. It was truly delicious. I just placed some kale into a saucepan and tossed it with extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and finely ground mustard. Very tasty — and good for you too.
Irish Shepherd’s Pie
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 12-ounce package frozen peas and carrots, thawed
For the topping:
6 Irish potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 pound Irish cheese, shredded
1 egg yolk
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chives
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place oil and butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; fry about 10 minutes. Add meat and crumble with spoon. Cook until brown.
Add remaining spices. Meanwhile, boil about four cups of water in a pan; add a pinch of salt. Halve potatoes and add to water; boil about 20 minutes. (I don’t peel the potatoes, but you can if you prefer not to have the skin or would like a smoother mashed potato texture). Drain potatoes and return to pan.
Add ground beef mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.
Add butter, sour cream and cheese to potatoes. Mash well. Beat egg yolk in separate bowl; add to mixture. Slowly pour in heavy cream and blend together. Top the meat mixture with potatoes, taking care to spread evenly. Bake until top is golden brown; about 30 minutes. Sprinkle topping with chives.
Servings: 12.
Steamed Kale
24 ounces Kale
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon finely ground dried mustard
Pour oil into a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat about 5 minutes. Add kale and remaining ingredients. Stir well and place a lid over pot. Let steam about 20 minutes.
Servings: 6.
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