A Country Irish Shepherds Pie recipe for St. Patricks Day

March 14, 8:27 PMSan Diego Cooking ExaminerLaurie Vengoechea

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                                                                                         Country Irish Shepherds Pie DMC

Last year we considered having our St. Patrick’s Day dinner at Temecula's only Irish dining establishment "Killarney's Irish Pub & Grill". When I drove to the grocery store at 4:oo pm and noticed parked cars lined up for literally miles away and the sounds of Irish folk music accompanied by loud cheers of happy patrons, I knew dinner would be served at home that evening.

In the grocery store I was also met with a celebration of music, clogging, fresh cheeses and popular Irish drinks. The store decorated with heather and green clover and management with their plaited kilts was just the right place for me to be to get into an Irish cooking mood. Thoroughly searching the deli cases I found a great collection of cheeses with Irish labels. The store attendant gave me a sample of some Dubliner Cheese that I ended up taking home with me. It was the Kerrygold brand and it was absolutely wonderful! The cheese has such a distinct flavor of Parmesan crossed with sharp cheddar and it has a nice bite but yet it is very smooth. It makes a great sandwich cheese as well as plated with fruit and crackers just for snacking.

I ended up making a simple Shepherds Pie with just a few alterations. First, instead of using a pie crust, I used two loaves of shepherd’s bread for the base. The second, I layered the Dubliner cheese between the meat, vegetables and mashed potatoes. I made beef stock gravy with thyme as the herb ingredient and mixed it with the ground beef also drizzling it between the layers. The cheese made all the difference in the world!  This ended up being such a delicious recipe that we look forward to having time and time again, and not only for St. Patrick’s Day, although I’m glad Tuesday is just a few day’s away!

COUNTRY IRISH SHEPHERDS PIE

Ingredients
2 medium sized Shepherd Bread loaves
6 cups Mashed Potatoes (recipe follows)
2 cups Brown Sauce (recipe follows)
1-½ lbs. Ground Lamb or beef
½ Onion  
Salt and pepper
Butter
3 cups Dubliner cheese grated (I use Kerrygold)
3 Carrots cleaned and cut into small squares and cooked till tender.
1 cup Peas (frozen not canned) cooked
 
Mashed Potatoes
2-3 pounds russet (baking)  
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 to 1 cup milk
Salt and white pepper to taste
 
Peel potatoes and cut into 2-inch pieces. In a large heavy saucepan simmer potatoes in salted water to cover by 1 inch 10 minutes, or until tender, and drain in a colander. In pan or bowl combine potatoes, butter, and 3/4-cup milk. With a potato masher or blender mash potatoes until just smooth, adding more milk and butter if necessary to make a
creamy but not pasty potato.  *Over cooking and blending your potatoes will make them too starchy. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
 
Brown Sauce
3 shallots or scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup red wine
10-½ -ounce can beef bouillon (not consommé) 

1 Tb. Wortsheshire sauce
1 Tsp. Fresh Tarragon leaves finely chopped
½ Tsp. thyme
Salt, pepper
Beurre Manié  
 
Sauté chopped shallots or scallions in butter. Gradually add the wine, wortsheshire  and bouillon. Let it come to a boil and add the seasonings. Cook down for a few minutes. Add Beurre manié to thicken to taste. Let simmer for a few minutes and strain. Set aside.
 
Ground Lamb or Beef
Finely chop ½ an onion. Sauté in 2 Tbsp. butter. Add ground meat and cook. Drain liquids. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
 
Vegetables
Mix prepared vegetables together.
 
Preparations
Divide all ingredients for two shepherd pies.  
Cut top of Shepherds Bread and scoop out insides.  
Starting with mashed potatoes layer your ingredients, always adding cheese and sauce after each layer. Repeat process until you end with mashed potatoes on top. Potatoes can be piped on for a decorative finish but it is not necessary.  Bake Shepherds Pie in a pre-heated 375° oven for
20 minutes. If potatoes start to brown too quickly loosely cover with foil.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Laurie