The Inspiration:
My pie inspiration was St. Patty's Day.
In my book, one can't properly celebrate the Irish without a Shepherd's Pie somewhere in March. With the holiday on a Monday, I really didn't have time to braise a version with lamb (but that will make my hit list someday). This year I stuck close to the traditional beef, mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) and mashed potatoes. When you are in search of a SP recipe, it's like deja vu over and over again. They are all pretty standard across the board. My favorite one is a recipe I tried a few years ago from Handheld Pies with the pies made in 1/2 pint mason jars. It was the perfect ratio of potato topping to filling. In keeping with the spirit of branching out to new recipes, I chose Martha Stewart's Shepherd's Pie.
The Production:
This pie is all about the prep work and sauting. The meat/veggies mixture is mostly finished in a large fry pan on the stovetop. Nothing like the smell of onions, celery and carrots sauting. Love it! And the potatoes are peeled, boiled and whipped up fluffy before the final assembly. The oven time is just enough to get everything bubbling hot and melty.
Added one variable to the recipe. I had 1/2 a stick of Kerrygold's herbed butter that I used to whip the mashed potatoes in lieu of regular butter. The herbs added a little bit of color and "green" to the flavor profile. Dill was the dominate note coming through in the end so I'd recommend sticking with a good regular old butter.
The Verdict:
Exactly what you would expect from a potatoes, beef, mirepoix and cheese mash up - pure warm up your belly delight! It was yummy and hit the spot for St. Patrick's week.
The Photographic Evidence:
saute baby
everything's better with cheese on top
fresh out of the oven
Yumminess
Note to self for next year: I was perusing a new cookbook that just released First Prize Pies this evening. There is a recipe for the perfect St Patty's Day pie - the Irish Car Bomb Cream Pie containing Jameson Irish Whiskey, Guiness & Baileys Irish Cream.
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