Just a Post About a (Turkey) Shepherd's Pie I Made This Week
August 31, 2024 |
| My Shepherds Pie Game keeps getting better - August, 2024 |
Hi beautiful people.
Happy last day of August 2024.
I am finishing up a Shepherd's Pie I made yesterday, and you know this pie is doing wonders in my life if I am out here dedicating a whole blog post to it.
I do not know if it is the 'turning 40 effect' or what, but I have been winning in the kitchen. I finally found the PERFECT pizza dough - Trader Joes Herb and Garlic Pizza Dough - used my throwback flatbread pizza recipe on it...and when I tell you that I was about to get a business plan together for my pizza delivery business, I mean that awesomeness was too much not to be shared.
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| Results from the Trader Joe's Herb and Garlic Pizza Dough, and my pizza recipe - August, 2024 |
Pizzas aside, if you have been here for a minute, you know that I have made a pie before - more of observed and been the lovely assistant during a pie making 'hang-out'. That was a Blackberry pie which we made from scratch, like picking the blackberries from the garden scratch. It was nice and sweet, and more of a dessert; today I am all about the main course.
A little Googling (this is not hardcore research so feel free to fact check) shows that the Shepherd's pie is more English than American, and it is Shepherd because it is made using lamb, then coated with potatoes and cheese to resemble a sheep...sheep, shepherd...you get? (plus if you try to imagine the meat, the potatoes and cheese (wool), it sorta kinda makes sense, right?). The use of beef came about when people were trying to figure out what to do with left over beef…and the name changes to Cottage Pie when you use beef (did not Google why).
Since I do not mess with red meat, I used turkey...I am not sure what the name changes to when you use poultry...but one thing I know for sure is that it hits the right notes. If you are a vegetarian or trying out one of those meatless Monday type challenges, you can use mushrooms.
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| The whole process from start to finish - August 2024 |
Once you figure out your base/meats or no meat...use these other ingredients, and follow the following steps:
- Two big potatoes (peel, cube and boil in water, add salt, mash with butter and sour cream),
- A range of vegetables (I used carrots, peas, onions, jalapeños, left over red and green bell peppers from the Pizza making...you can use whatever veggies you want, just put some oil in pan, add the veggies, the spices you like or just some salt, keep stirring until done - almost like a stir fry thing),
- Minced lamb/beef/turkey or sliced mushrooms (put meat or mushrooms in a pan and keep stirring until brown, add salt, garlic, tomato paste…then mix in the veggies from the previous step)
- Transfer the meat veggie mix to baking pan, layer with the mashed potatoes, add a layer of cheese (i used sharp cheddar), then broil in oven until cheese melts (I did a low broil)
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| My Shepherd's Pie straight outta the over and looking/smelling like the snack it is...and yes, I finally got a new baking pan - August, 2024 |
I have nothing more to add other than I look forward to all the food throwdowns I will be doing in my 40s...and all the gym sessions/morning walks I will be keeping up with.
Sending love and light,
Sitawa
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