Courtesy of David Watt of The Garrison House.
Directions for: The Garrison House Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
1 lb(s) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
cup cold butter, cubed
cup 35% cream
2 ounce duck fat
2 lb(s) lean ground lamb
1 onion, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
1 pint black lager or stout
2 cup San Marzano tomatoes, chopped
1 fresh bay leaf
bunch fresh thyme, tied in a bundle with string
4 cup lamb or beef stock, reduced
cup peas, thawed
cup aged white Cheddar, grated
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. To make the mashed potatoes, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil; add potatoes and cook over medium heat for 20-25 minutes, or until tender.
2. Drain potatoes, add them back to the pot and stir in cold butter and cream; using a masher, mash to preferred consistency and set aside until assembly.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. In a large oven-proof pan, heat duck fat over medium heat, reserving 4 tablespoons of duck fat for later use.
5. In 1 cup batches, add lamb to the pan and stir and cook until browned. Set lamb aside to drain excess oil as you brown the remaining lamb.
6. Once all lamb is browned, add the reserved duck fat back into the pan along with the lamb, onions, and carrots. Cook and stir over medium heat until onions soften, about 6-8 minutes.
7. To deglaze the pan, stir the lager into the pan and continue to cook over medium heat until lager has reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
8. Stir the tomato, bay leaf, thyme, and lamb stock into the mixture and bring to a simmer; cover pan with metal foil or a lid and place in the oven for 1 hour to finish cooking.
9. Remove thyme and bay leaf from the pan; pour mixture into a casserole dish and top with peas and reserved mashed potatoes.
10. Sprinkle grated cheddar on top and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese browns.
11. To finish, remove casserole from the oven and preheat broiler. Place shepherds pie under the broiler for 2 minutes to finish browning.
12. Serve shepherds pie with a pint of black lager or stout and a piece of crusty bread.
See more: Comfort Food, Dinner, Lamb, Main, Potatoes, Vegetables