I Made a Food Pt. 1

Too cute to eat right? Clearly why I used beef.

As promised in the first post, this blog will partially be about cooking and eating (and drinking). So, as a result, when I make a new thing and am pleased with the result I will make a post so you can make it too, if you choose. I will also, at the end of each week (hopefully), make a quick post profiling and rating the things I've tried that week be it shows, liquor, beer, or restaurants (maybe music too, unsure just yet). So that being said the first thing I'll put up is Shepherd's Pie, which I took a swing at a couple nights ago, and was tremendously pleased with.

Shepherd's Pie

It's worth pointing out that I do things a bit differently with this dish than most. Namely I use a red wine base (similar to beef bourguignon) as opposed to Worcestershire and I also use chunked stew meet instead of any ground concoction, be it beef or lamb. It's also worth noting that I tend to cook very informally, I don't use recipes too often (beyond as a basis for inspiration) and I don't tend to measure ingredients to carefully unless I'm baking (which is all chemistry). I taste what I'm making frequently until it's the way I want it, according to the people who eat my food, this seems to be working. For your sake I will try to approximate the measures I used. The recipe serves 3-5 people and takes about 2 hours to make. To start you will want two teams of ingredients: A.) the stew team; B.) The potato team.

 The Stew Team (pretend that red potato isn't here)

1 lb package beef stew meat

1 med-large onion

1 12-16 oz package mushroom

4-5 carrots

2 cloves garlic

1 bottle Pinot Noir (Cabernet Sauvignon would work well too)

1/2 tbs butter

1/4 cup green onions

2-3 beef bouillon cubes

Salt

Pepper

Thyme

Fresh sage

Bay leaves

Rosemary

1 tsp ketchup

The Potato Team (this is where the potato goes)

1 1/2 lb red potatoes (or whatever variety you like most)

4-6 oz sharp cheddar (don't half-ass with mild)
Heavy whipping cream
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp butter

For this you'll require one pot with a not non-stick surface (you'll need it for deglazing), one slightly larger pot, and one casserole dish. Start by peeling the carrots and onions and then chopping them. I gave the carrots a simple cut and cut the onion in half before slicing it into long strips. Usually I cut onions smaller but in this dish they'll cook down so much that it's better to have them a bit bigger. Mince up the garlic and then throw the three of them in the pot with the pad of butter on med-high heat. Cook long enough that the onions and garlic sweat out a bit and provide a little liquid (they should look fairly translucent around that point). If any of the ingredients stick a little bit that's okay, you'll want some crispy bits on the bottom of the pan when you deglaze it.
While that's going on peel your potatoes, and cut them into rough cubes, then toss them in some water and set that to boil. This will take a while, so don't pay it too much mind while the more important things are happening in the stew pot.

Next throw in the stew meat and let it get a good sear on it (your pan will need to be plenty hot for that), pretty quickly you'll find you've got a lot of liquid from the meat built up. This should take about 5-10 minutes. Take the accumulated ingredients out and put them somewhere temporarily, I used my casserole dish for the job. You should have an empty pan now with plenty of crispy bits and flavorful residue from what you've cooked so far. Get that pan good and hot and then pour in about 1/3-1/2 of the bottle of red wine. It will his and sear and make mean noises but don't worry, that's what it's supposed to do, just stir and try to scrape all the stuff off the pans bottom. Once that's done toss your other ingredients back into your deglazed pan. Put your bouillon cubes in now alongside a generous amount of thyme, some salt and pepper, a pinch of rosemary, 2-3 bay leaves, and some fresh sage (I used about 4 or 5 small sprigs).  Bear in mind that the sage, bay leaves, and thyme should be the herbs primarily flavoring the stew. Now is also the time to toss in the mushrooms, they need to go in late so they don't cook down into nothing. If you feel your stew doesn't have enough tanginess after about twenty minutes at a quiet simmer, add the ketchup.

 Still in development

Your potats should be nearing done by now. Pluck a chunk out and press it with a fork, if it crumbles nicely it's probably done, I always taste mine to be sure. Drain the potats into a colander and clean the pot of the accumulated starchy gunk. Put the potatoes back in the pot and mash the bejesus out of them. Add the butter and a healthy splash of cream to help give them a smooth consistency. Last, while they're still hot, add 1 egg yolk (a tip I got from an Alton Brown version) and stir it in very quickly (so it doesn't form up). It'll give your potats a nice silky quality and help them form together well once they bake. Salt and pepper the mashed potatoes generously.

Last throw in the green onions for some character and a bit of bright flavor in what will be a very heavy, rich dish. Give that another ten minutes or so until it's reduced and has a nice thickness two it, something of a brown gravy like consistency. If you feel you need to add more red wine do so, I did, and just give it some more time to reduce (or if you're feeling impatient, throw in a little corn flour blended with water, that thickens things right up).

Finished stew

Spray down your casserole dish with some non-stick spray (so your stew doesn't burn and taste like ass) and pour the stew in, spreading it evenly across the pan. You may want to take out the bay leaves, as biting into one is not entirely pleasant. I left mine in because they're A.) hard to miss and B.) benefit the dish by being left to contribute more during the baking.

Next, with a rubber spatula, scrape out your potatoes and spread them across the top of the stew (this part can be a little trying, but just keep at it).

Once that's done pop the pie into the oven at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes, long enough for the crust to turn a light gold. Don't cheese the pie yet, seriously, at that temperature with that much time the cheese will just get nasty. A lot of people like to top casseroles with toasted cheese masses, I do not. Instead take the pie out once you have about five minutes left and sprinkle the cheese on then. Return it to the over, wait it out, then retrieve it again. Garnish the entree with a couple sprigs of parsley and a little green onion, if you so please.

Let it cool for a bit so you don't injure your guests (unless that's a priority for you in which case by all means), then dig in! In the end remember, food is freedom, and unless you're making pastries you can bend, play with, and distort any part of a recipe as much and as often as you please. This is how I made this, and I loved how it turned out, but do whatever you want with it, it's your kitchen. Now, a song: