A hearty casserole of spiced ground lamb and vegetables swaddled in a mashed-potato-parsnip crust
Ingredients
Filling
2 TB olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 ribs celery, sliced
1¼ lbs. ground lamb
1 tsp each cumin and coriander
Salt and pepper to taste
2 TB tomato paste
Worcestershire sauce
12 oz beer
1 cup frozen peas
¼ cup chopped parsley
Crust
1½ lbs. Yukon Gold or other waxy potatoes, cut into chunks
6 small to medium parsnips, cut into chunks
¾ cup whole milk
6 TB butter
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375.
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until softened, about ten minutes. Season with cumin, coriander and salt and pepper and sauté a few additional minutes until fragrant.
Add the ground lamb and sauté until browned, stirring frequently.
Drain off the fat and add the tomato paste, beer, four dashes of Worcestershire sauce, and peas stirring to combine.
Turn the heat up to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until thickened, about ten to fifteen minutes. Add the chopped parsley.
Pour meat and vegetables into a 2-quart baking dish and set aside.
Meanwhile, place the potatoes and parsnips in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Season with salt. Bring water to a boil, turn down heat and simmer partially covered until the vegetables are tender and cooked through, about fifteen minutes. Drain.
Combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan and heat just to a simmer.
Rice the potatoes and parsnips with a potato ricer OR return the drained potatoes and parsnips to the saucepan and mash them with a potato masher until smooth. (If the parsnips have a woody core, simply remove it.)
Add half the butter-milk mixture to the potatoes and parsnips and stir or mash to combine. Season well with salt and pepper. Taste and add more butter and milk if desired.
Spread the mashed potatoes and parsnips on top of the meat and vegetables. Make cross-hatch pattern on the top with a fork if desired.
Bake the Shepherd's Pie for 35-40 minutes or until the crust begins to brown.
Serve
Recipe by West of the Loop at https://www.westoftheloop.com/2015/01/14/drunken-shepherds-pie-potato-parsnip-crust/