Traditional Shepherd's Pie

Once a month at our amazing preschool, which I could rave and rave about, each class "hosts" a luncheon for the teachers as their monthly staff meeting.  What that entails is that all the parents from each class plan a short lunch party (food, dessert, decor, drinks and a little gift) for the entire staff to enjoy at the end of the school day.  Last week, it was the Young Two's turn to host the luncheon and we decided to go with a St. Patrick's Day theme.  It seriously turned out SO cute and the teachers had a ball.  I think the group of moms in this class are some of the most talented women - I got these pictures from one of the moms, Amy, who did the GORGEOUS flowers and adorable balloons.  Another mom brought the theme-perfect cake, another purchased on-point table settings, and class mom, Kyndall, put together the adorable teacher gifts on each plate. 

In any case, I got asked to make the entree and I was more than happy to oblige, but at first we were stumped with what would make a good, Irish-themed entree for 15 people.  Of course, the second I mentioned it to Aaron, he said, make Shepherd's Pie.  I don't know how traditionally Irish it is to be honest, I haven't researched the food-etymology of it, but it worked perfectly!  Since I made it in such a huge quantity - think six pounds beef! - I wasn't initially going to write up the recipe for the blog and make it another time, but I got asked a whole bunch of times how I made it today and so I thought I would go ahead and write it out. 

The photos show a small, square dish of pie, because that day I made two large casseroles and one small one for us, the recipe below will yield enough for one rectangular casserole.

Traditional Shepherd's Pie

Serves 6

For the Filling:

  • 1/2 medium white onion, diced
  • 2 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1-2 cups chopped carrots, to your liking
  • 2 tbs. butter
  • 2 lbs. ground beef (I used a 75% lean for this recipe, it will have more flavor)
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Ground sage
  • Dried Basil
  • Dried Thyme
  • 1-2 cups frozen or fresh peas, to your liking
  • 1 Knorr beef stock base or 2 beef bullion cubes
  • Flour

For the Potato Topping:

  • 4-5 medium russet potatoes (3-4 lbs)
  • 2 tbs. butter
  • Salt, pepper
  • Freeze dried or fresh chives, minced
  • 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
  • Heavy cream or half-and-half

In a large dutch oven, over medium-high heat, melt the butter.  Add the onion and minced garlic. Saute for a few minutes, until fragrant.  Add the carrots and saute for a few minutes more, until carrots are just tender, but not smushy.

Using a spatula, push your veggies to the side and add the ground beef.  Brown the beef, breaking it up with your spatula.  As you go, season the meat liberally with salt and pepper, and then season with sage, thyme and basil to taste (I just give each a good shake over the mix, probably 1 tsp or so). Then mix the beef into the veggies and continue to cook until all the beef is broken up and cooked through.

Add the beef base to the pot and stir until its dissolved.  Turn the heat down to medium and add the peas. Mix evenly until the peas have heated through.  One spoonful at a time, sprinkle flour over the beef and mix until the flour has absorbed the loose liquid in the pot.  How much flour you use will depend on how much "gravy" you will like in your beef.  I prefer the base to be rather thick so it doesn't bubble through the potatoes on top, so I continue to add flour until the juice has turned to a thin paste or thick gravy and is no longer runny. 

Remove from heat and spoon the beef mixture into a rectangular baking dish.  Set aside to cool while you make the topping.

Peel and quarter the potatoes and boil in a pot of salted water. When the potatoes are tender enough to easily pierce with fork, turn off the heat.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer.

Add the butter to the potatoes and mix with a paddle attachment on low.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add 1 tbs. of chives.  Stir in a small handful of cheese, reserving the rest.  Slowly add cream, just a little at a time, beating until smooth.  You want the potatoes to be THICK, not watery, so go slow with the cream, really whipping them up on high between additions. You want them to be the consistency of a thick buttercream icing, but smooth.  Taste and re-season to preference.

Top the cooled beef mixture with the remaining shredded cheese.  Then top with the potatoes, spreading evenly.  I like to add texture to the potatoes, swirling them up with a fork, so they brown attractively in the oven.  You can get really fancy, and apply the potatoes with a pastry bag and a large cupcake tip - extra points for presentation on that one!

If making ahead, you can cover the casserole and refrigerate until you want to use it, up two two days or freeze it even!  If doing either of those, when you are ready to bake it, set the casserole out on the counter while the oven pre-heats so its not super cold going into the oven.

You can kick it up one more notch and brush the top of the potatoes with just a tiny bit of melted butter before it goes in the oven.  It will brown and form almost a butter crust on top and is kind of amazing.

If making right away, bake in the top third of your oven at 400° for 15 minutes, then turn the casserole and cook for 10-15 minutes more until bubbly and browned on top.  Serve immediately.


White Russian Casserole

I don't know if this is a casserole as much as it is a family-sized sandwich.  You put it together like a sandwich but in a casserole dish and then you bake it to crispy, melty deliciousness. 

The Inspiration for this came from a sandwich I ate all the time in high school back home in New York.  There was a restaurant down the road from my mom's house, The Katonah Bar and Grill (which has since been renamed Oliver's and the menu is different), and they had a sandwich on the menu, the White Russian.  I'm not entirely sure why it was called that, but it was my favorite.

It was layers of turkey, ham, bacon, cheese and Russian dressing in between buttery-toasted rye bread.  They served it with beer battered french fries and a pickle.  I highly recommend the pairing - however, I didn't have any fries to go with this dinner.

This is honestly one of the easiest, cleanest meals I've ever put together.  With the exception of a bowl for melted butter and a cutting board, all you need is a knife and a casserole dish.  Woohoo! A meal that requires practically no clean-up!

This would also be a great dish for a winter potluck of sorts - a football party or something.  Its basically the epitome of a bar food casserole. 

Anyway, back to making it.  You butter the bottom of your dish, then layer like a sandwich: rye bread (topped with a little butter), provolone cheese, ham, turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, rye bread (a just a bit more butter).  Cover it with some foil so it doesn't burn while the cheese melts, bake it for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Uncover it and bake for 5 more minutes to toast up the bread on top. It's that easy! Enjoy!

White Russian Casserole

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 6 tbs. butter, melted
  • 10 slices of Rye bread, cut in 1-inch squares
  • 4-6 slices of Provolone Cheese, cut in 1-inch squares
  • 8 oz. deli sliced ham, cut in 1-inch squares
  • 8 oz. deli sliced turkey, cut in 1-inch squares
  • 1 lb. bacon, cooked, and diced
  • 4-6 slices of Swiss Cheese, cut in 1-inch squares
  • Russian dressing

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Brush the bottom of a 12x9 casserole dish with the melted butter.  Layer half the bread on the bottom of the dish, brush with butter.

Layer the Provolone cheese on top of the bread, followed by the ham, then turkey, bacon, and Swiss cheese. 

Drizzle Russian dressing over the entire casserole (amount to your preference).

Top with the remaining rye bread, brush with butter.  Cover the casserole with aluminum foil.

Bake, covered, for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5-8 minutes, until top layer of bread is toasted golden.

Bacon-Gruyere Cavatappi

Cheese is a food group to me.  When the rest of my fridge could be pretty empty, the cheese drawer is full.  When I was pregnant with Townes, the first thing I did was call our favorite French Restaurant, Justine's, in a panic that their triple-creme brie wasn't pasteurized (it is, thank goodness).  When I am at the grocery store with Chanel and I ask, "do we need cheese?" she just laughs at me.  You get the picture - cheese is a big deal.

My kids know it too.  We don't just eat American cheese - which has its throne in the crockpot to make queso.  But Townes has always loved brie spread on a cracker, or feta in his eggs, or blue cheese in a lobster beignet (not that he can even say, beignet).  So when I am feeling like a cheesey comfort food staple like mac and cheese we go one of two routes: 1. we make Annie's white cheddar shells with extra butter and some cream (SO GOOD) and maybe some peas and carrots thrown in or 2. I make some from scratch version with "stinky" cheese so it has a more adult flavor.

This is clearly the latter, since I'm not gonna post a recipe on how to do-up some Annie's (though I totally could if anyone is interested). In my opinion, bacon and gruyere go together so wonderfully.  There is a bitterness to the cheese that is perfectly complimented by the saltiness of the bacon. For this cheese sauce I also tried to liven up that deep flavor in the gruyere with some Worcestershire, horseradish, dry mustard and then smooth it out with cheddar.  Topped with more bacon and some butter bread crumbs, this was a total win.

Bacon-Gruyere Cavatappi

Serves 8

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb. cavatappi pasta (or elbows)
  • 1 lb. thick cut bacon, diced
  • 1 small white onion, grated
  • 1 tbs. butter
  • 1 tbs. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. dry mustard
  • 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1/2 tsp prepared horseradish (optional)
  • 3 tbs. flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 8 oz block of orange cheddar, freshly grated
  • 6 oz block of gruyere, freshly grated
  • 2 tbs. butter
  • 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
  • Green onions or chives, chopped for garnish

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large sauce pot or dutch over, boil water with salt and a dash of olive oil (to prevent sticking), cook pasta to the al dente directions.  Rinse your pasta under cold water in a colander and set aside.

Empty the pot and return it to the stove.  Cook all the bacon in the pot over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching.  When crispy, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

Pour the lose bacon fat from the pot into a heat safe container and set aside, do not wipe out or rinse your pot. 

Add the 1 tbs. of butter to the pot over medium-high heat.  Saute the grated onion until translucent.  Add the garlic powder, dry mustard, Worstcheshire, salt and pepper and horseradish.  Whisk until mixed.  Add the flour and stir until evenly coated.

Immediately add the milk, whisking to incorporate smoothly. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add the cheddar and gruyere. Turn off the heat and stir until creamy and blended.

Add the pasta to the pot with the cheese sauce.  Reserving a small handful for topping, add the cooked bacon to the pasta and cheese.

Transfer the pasta mixture to a 9x12 casserole dish.  Melt the 2 tbs. butter in a microwave safe dish and then stir in the bread crumbs.  You may need to add more  if you want them a little drier, but its your preference. 

Chop the remaining bacon into small bits and add to the bread crumbs.  Top the pasta with the bread crumbs and bacon.

Bake until the breadcrumbs are just browned and the casserole bubbles.

Remove and top with chopped green onions or chives.