Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

12.9.2012

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

I’ve been eating horribly the past couple of days. When I mean horribly, I mean that I’ve been eating lots of delicious fried, buttery foods. My attempt to incorporate more vegetables into my diet was British inspired and it came in the form of a vegetarian shepherd’s pie today. It’s definitely one of most unattractive looking things I’ve made but we all know that appearances are deceiving.

Chef may or may not have commented on it’s unsavory appearance; in my defense, I’m cooking primarily for one (sometimes two, if you count my food baby) so I’m not concerned with aesthetics*. I guess my cooking style can be described as “quick and easy (with an experimental twist)”. When it comes to shepherd’s pie though, that’s totally okay! It’s definitely not the most attractive dish especially if you want to stay true to its peasant food origins.

Which I did.

For 4-6 servings (adapted from Food & Wine):

4 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. black pepper
1 c. heavy cream
6 tbps. butter
2 large onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 c. mixed vegetables
2 tsp. freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 tsp. freshly chopped thyme leaves
3 c. vegetable stock

Boil the potatoes in salted water (in a medium pot) until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and put them back into a saucepan along with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. The rest of the directions from Food & Wine: “Mash the potatoes over very low heat, gradually incorporating the cream and 4 tablespoons of the butter. Cover and set aside. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over moderately low heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the sliced mixed vegetables, herbs, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Mix well. Stir in the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderate heat, covered, until the vegetables start to soften, 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to moderately high, and cook until the vegetables are tender and almost no liquid remains in the pan, about 10 minutes longer. Heat the broiler. Transfer the vegetables to a 9” pie plate, spread the potatoes over the top, and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.”