“Not the Real” Shepherd’s Pie (but still delicious)

Edit: Pulled beef is preferred it seems. But ground beef is a close second. A full day of stewed meat … the way to go if you have the time.

Meat and potatoes. We like to keep it simple … and delicious ’round here. We make this delight with ground beef from our local butcher. It’s rare that meat is purchased elsewhere in this house. Our butchers are cool, and we trust them, and the food just tastes different. Better. And the topping. A household specialty … inspired by a chef I worked with along the way. Not just mashed potatoes. Mashed Idaho and sweet potato mix with cheddar cheese curds. Yup. And here you’ll see some green. We grew that oregano, and we use it in a lotta dishes. The whole thing comes together like this:

3 lbs of ground beef | (or stew meat cooked until tender) | squash risotto with parmigiano reggiano | beef stock | red wine | oregano | garlic powder | salt and pepper

Idaho potatoes | sweet potatoes | butter | milk of your choice | cheddar cheese curds | salt and pepper

Top the whole layered deal with oregano and parm. All ingredients are cooked stove top and then oven-bound when put together. I top with some herbs and cheese just for fun. And color. I like color in our food. And did I mention we grew the oregano?! I think I did. Don’t forget the love … it matters, for sure.

A Robust Red Sauce

I don’t have a sauce recipe that’s consistent. But when someone loves something, I want to be able to replicate it. So here it goes.

meatballs (cook in the pan) | tomato puree | garlic | salt and pepper | good red wine | parmigiano reggiano | a bit of Rao’s Arrabbiata (it’s not all from scratch all the time – there are good products out there)

I cook the meatballs first (they deserve their own post, stay tuned) and drain some of the fat. Not all. Fat equals flavor. The other ingredients are added one at a time. So they can get to know each other. Become one. It’s about relationships, cooking is. And not just among those being served.

So, a robust red sauce. This is the one we’re adopting. Deciding to make it our own. And we’re putting it out there. Here on the blog. In case what we’ve done might work for you too. And so I can remember what I did, and maybe do it again. In the same robust fashion as it occurred the time before.