Sweet Revenge and Unorthodox Shepherd's Pie Recipe

 

Here is another installment of cooking with books. This time the book is Sweet Revenge By: Diane Mott Davidson. I cut this recipe in half because I am only feeding between 2-4 people. I have frozen this recipe also and it comes out well. Now onto the recipe.

Ingredients you will need for this recipe.

2 pounds lean ground beef

2 cups chopped onions

2 cups chopped. celery

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled

1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt

1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup frozen corn

4 1/2 pounds russet potatoes

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

additional sea salt, to taste (I don’t use this)

additional black pepper, to taste

2 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into bits

paprika

Instructions:

Ina very large sauté pan, sauté the ground beef, onions and celery in the oil over medium heat until the beef is browned, and vegetables are limp. Add the flour and stir for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture begins to bubble. Slowly add the chicken stock. Stir until completely combined, then stir in the thyme, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the mixture is bubbling and thickened. Stir in the peas and corn and set aside.

Bring a large quantity of salted water to boiling. Peel the potatoes and drop them into the water. Cook for about 40-45 minutes. In a small saucepan, heat the half and half until it is steaming, but not boiling.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9-inch deep-dish pie plates. Grease or line a baking sheet.

Remove the potatoes from the heat, drain, and place them in the large bowl of an electric mixer. Begin to beat the potatoes on low speed, slowly adding the hot half and half, the cheeses, and the additional salt and pepper.

Place half the beef mixture in each of the prepared pie plates. Place half the potato mixture on top of the beef. Scatter half the butter bits on top of each potato mixture. Sprinkle generously with paprika.

Place the pies on the baking sheet and place them in the oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the potatoes are browned and the pies are completely heated through.

Makes 8 large servings.

This is really good and I hope you give this recipe a try. The book is also a great read.