Shepherd's Pie

It was St. Patty's Day, and I simply could not pull the trigger on Corned Beef and Cabbage.  I thought Shepherd's Pie was a reasonable compromise.  Sometimes I will peruse recipes (I like epicurious.com), for inspiration.  I came across a version with Bison meat and red wine.  This is what ended up in my pot:

Recipe:  Shepherd's Pie

6 or 7 large Russet potatoes

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup skim milk

salt & pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 good sized ribeye steak (I prefer grass fed)

2 lbs ground buffalo

1 cup chopped carrots

1 shallot

3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

1/2 red onion

4 sprigs thyme bundled with 2 stems sage

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup vegetable stock

1 1/2 cups red wine (I used a Syrah, my rule of thumb is don't cook with anything that you wouldn't drink)

Lea & Perrins

HP Sauce (! - Find it, it's awesome)

2 tablespoons Tomato Paste

1 tablespoon dijon or spicy brown mustard

1 cup frozen peas

salt & pepper

This may seem like a lot of ingredients,  but they get incorporated together fairly quickly, and you don't have to use exact measurements.

To Prepare, first sauté the shallot, garlic, onion and herbs in some vegetable stock over high heat.  I do everything in my Le Creuset cast iron pot and use no oil.  I then throw in the steak, trimmed and cubed with the carrots, and a few tablespoons of flour.  Brown all sides of the meat, then add the buffalo (or lean ground beef).  Once all is browned, drain the fat.

Meanwhile, peel, chop and boil the potatoes until they are tender enough to mash.  Drain them and mash with butter, milk, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Next, to the meat mixture, add the tomato paste, vegetable stock, wine, HP, L&P, mustard, and salt and pepper, but not the peas (yet).  Simmer on the stove until  most of the liquid has been incorporated.  Remove the herbs and bay leaves and add the peas.  It will look something like this:

At this point you are nearly done, and may consider pausing for a Black and Tan.  Fill a pint glass half full with Harp, then fill a spouted measuring cup with Guinness.  Pour the Guinness slowly and carefully over the back of a fork, held just above the Harp.  The Guinness will rest comfortably atop the Harp.

OK, it's not dinner time yet - scoop the potatoes onto the meat.  Bake at 425, covered, for 30 - 40 minutes.  I like to grate a little cheddar on top and bake another 5 - 10 uncovered after that.

 You can tell I live with 3 guys.  I'm not sure any of these 'leftovers' actually made it to the fridge...