Cheddar Topped Shepherd's Pie

It's almost St. Patrick's Day, and recipes are popping up all over my favorite food blogs, and I thought this recipe for Shepherd's Pie would fit right in.  Shepherd's Pies has a meat and vegetable filling, either made with ground beef or ground lamb, which is topped with a mashed potato crust.  When I saw this recipe from Martha Stewart, I knew I wanted to try it.

This recipe is easy and made with ingredients that are usually refrigerator and pantry staples.  I only had to pick up some authentic Irish cheddar from the store, and I was able to whip this up in no time.  The only thing that takes a lot of time is all the vegetables that have to be chopped.

The only change to this recipe I made was to partially cook my ground beef before adding it to the pan.  Recently, I was lucky enough to win a contest from Serious Eats.  It was a Super Bowl contest, and the prize was 10 lbs of ground beef to use at your Super Bowl party.  The beef was shipped in 2 lbs. packages, and we only used 4 lbs. on Super Bowl Sunday, so I had 6 lbs. sitting in my freezer.  This was really high quality meat that contained a lot of fat and marbling, so if your beef has a high fat content, you may want to partially cook the meet before adding it to skillet to get rid of some of that extra fat.  If your ground beef is very lean, this step isn't necessary.

I thought this was a hearty, homey dish that is quick and easy. Next time I think I will try add some peas in the dish as well.  Happy St. Patricks Day!


Cheddar Topped Shepherd's Pie
   serves 6-8

• 2 lbs. baking potatoes (I used Idaho Russets), peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
• 6 medium carrots, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 celery stalks, halved (if large) and thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 to 1 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese (I used Kerrygold Mature Cheddar)
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, place the potatoes in large pot and cover with salted water (about 1 inch above the potatoes).  Cook until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile heat a 5 quart Dutch oven, or a large heavy-bottomed pot, over medium-high heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion and thyme, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not brown the vegetables. Add the flour and the tomato paste, cook for at least a minute to incorporate the flour and tomato paste.  Add the beef and cook until it is no longer pink.  Add 1 cup of water and bring it to a boil, simmer 1 minute.  Pour the beef filling until a 9 x 13 baking dish.

Drain potatoes and return to the pan, cook over medium heat until the water is evaporated, about 1 minute.  Keep stirring so the potatoes do not stick to the pot.  Remove the pan from the heat and add the whole milk (start with 3/4 of a cup and add up to 1/4 cup more until the desired consistency is achieved), and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese.  Mash until the potatoes are smooth and season with salt and pepper.

Drop dollops of the mashed potatoes over the beef filling, spread to the edges of the dish with a spatula (it won't be a very thick layer, but it will puff up a bit in the oven).  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese.  Bake until the topping is browned and the filling is bubbling, about 15-20 min. (Mine was ready by 15 minutes).  Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

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Penne with Braised Short Ribs

I love short ribs.  They are delicious when cooked low and slow until the meat just falls off the bone, so when I saw this recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, I knew I wanted to try it.  The ribs and onions and garlic are sauteed on the stove top, then they are braised in a unique tomato sauce for a few hours in the oven.  This braising results in a rich sauce that goes great with the hearty meat.  Once you pull the short ribs out of the oven, the sauce is pureed, so even picky eaters (like my boyfriend), who don't like big chunks of tomatoes, like this sauce.  It's a great weekend meal, and perfect for those cold winter nights.

Ingredients

4 pounds beef short ribs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths

1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 cups low-sodium beef broth

1 pound penne pasta

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 

Directions

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. 

Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone. 

Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid.  Using a ladle, transfer the cooking liquid in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce and add to the pasta. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the pasta. Toss well and thin out the pasta with more sauce, if needed. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley before serving.

CEiMB: Beef Stroganoff with Green Beans and Grainy Mustard

This week's Craving Ellie in My Belly is from Liz of The Not So Skinny Kitchen.  She chose for us to make the Beef Stroganoff recipe from from So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week by Ellie Krieger.  It's a pretty straightforward beef stroganoff recipe in which beef is simmered in red wine and beef broth with mushrooms and onions.  At the last minute, I added some light sour cream to the gravy.  The original recipe called for some nonfat Greek yogurt, but I like the flavor and tang that the sour cream adds to the dish. The beef stroganoff is served over some egg noodles with a side of steamed green beans that have been tossed in some grainy mustard and seasoned with salt and pepper.  


I liked this dish, it was a nice hearty, weeknight dinner.  Perfect for this time of year when the low tonight is supposed to be in the single digits. I did think that it was a bit underseasoned the way that recipe called for, but with a bit extra salt and pepper, it perked right up.   The green beans were a simple easy side that packed a lot of flavor, and it was a good accompaniment to the beef, so thanks Liz for a good pick, and be sure to check out the blogroll to see what everyone else did with their dishes!