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Recipe File: Shepherd's Pie (Cottage Pie)
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Froggy
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 12:53 am    Post subject: thoughts on Pâté Chinois variation Reply with quote

Traditional French-Canadian recipe uses no carrot/celery and definetely has corn. Yes this is Pâté Chinois here. I have always seen it made from ground beef in my lifetime here. Depending on the cook, sometimes the corn is mixed into the beef. I like to layer the corn between the beef and potatoes, giving (at least the illusion) that the beef fat will not seep into the potatoes the way it is meant to do in a tourtiere crust. (I know you remove the excess fat anyway in the recipe). These days, I also do it with extra-lean beef, that I don't remember if it existed 40 years ago. I don't think my mother used that much broth or liquid, probably to accelerate the preparation - this was the fast and plentyful meal for the starving masses coming home from school. Sort of like the occasional alternative to meatloaf. For the people who haven't found the patience to brown the top layer of mashed potatoes, less liquid would also facilitate 'drying' the top - it will not brown easily if humidity is still evaporating from the bottom layer, thereby keeping the potatoes moist. Make sure to thicken (French term is reduire like reduce) the liquid. Also, I have always seen it with plain corn rather than cream of corn, which would add calories, and yet again more liquid to the recipe. As for the tomato paste, people here normally add ketchup liberally over the dish once served in their plate, rather than adding it to the dish. It's not like I'm trying to tenderize the beef with (acidic) tomato while cooking. Similarly, I withhold salt in the dish, because of the large amount contained in the ketchup that will be poured over later. I normally use more pepper and less salt, to every dish that contains ground beef and ketchup in the plate.
Thx for all contributors, I am anxious to try some of the variations posted, particularly the fish and white sauce. I assume the suggested bed of cooked spinach is to prevent the cheese in the white sauce from sticking to the bottom. I might try adding small pieces of broccoli over the bed of spinach. I like cheesy white sauce with broccoli. Cheers
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 8:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My family has apparently "butchered" this recipe a long time ago. As a child (and even now) we do not make a gravy with the ground meat. We saute the onions, brown the meat with the onions then layer meat, peas, cream corn, whipped potatoes.

I think the intent was for the cream corn to mimic the gravy. I do have to say that it is still my favorite meal.
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 11:06 pm    Post subject: Sheperd's pie/Cottage pie Reply with quote

Nearly the same recipe I use, but I also like to bake a thin (1/4") cornbread crust in the bottom of the casserole prior to loading in the rest of the ingredients. It adds a nice texture and helps keep the filling in place when transferring to a serving plate. Other 'boredom variations' have included 1/2 cup of sour cream and 1/4 cup dry white wine with 1 tsp cracked pepper in the meat gravy or 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro added between the meat mixture and potatoes.
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TeaLoverDenise
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 28, 2007 4:40 am    Post subject: Mash Reply with quote

I like to warm up the milk beforehand in the microwave before adding it to the potatoes. (Tip I saw once on Martha Stewart)
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Guest






PostPosted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

These tips and tricks all sound wonderful!
I had forgotten about this dish for many years. I had it while growing up but never prepared it myself. I tasted it again while traveling through the Yukon and it brought back great memories. I want to start making it for my family too. Thank you for all of the ideas. The kids will love it!
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Irish
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 08, 2007 8:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Smile
I'd made Shepherd's pie this morning for the freezer, then discovered a link to this site - it's great!

A couple of things:
With the emphasis on increasing the amount of vegetables we eat, I stuffed my 2lb meat mix with 2 big onions, 3 medium carrots, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, and a mug of peas. All the veg exept the peas chopped. I never thicken the gravy, but add just enough stock to come to about an inch below the top of the meat.

Steaming the spuds and then ricing them before adding butter and seasoning gets them really fluffy. (A ricer is like a huge garlic press.) Don't stint on the butter (but olive oil can be substituted) as it aids the topping to get beautifully golden.

A few bruised cloves of garlic, bay leaves, fresh woody herbs like thyme/rosemary can be cooked in with the meat and removed before assembling the pie.

Oh yes - a heaped tsp of mild curry powder and plenty of worstershire sauce add zing and help cut down on the salt needed in the meat layer.

It's a wrestle to get the stuff cooked, cooled and frozen before it gets eaten! Huh?

Yikes - posting as a guest needs concentration Wink
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Carrie
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 11, 2007 2:22 pm    Post subject: Shepherd's Pie Reply with quote

Last night, I made Cottage Pie using Rachel Ray's Shepherd Pie recipe, except I used 1/2 pound ground pork and 1 pound ground beef. I also added 5 mushrooms.
For the potatoes, I used a recipe of Martha Stewart's for Basil-Chive Red Potato Mash.
Good review from my husband! Big smile
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Thomas B
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 12:32 am    Post subject: Excellent site! Excellent recipe! Reply with quote

Having just had your site sent on to me, I have to commend you on your presentation - pictures, well laid out ingredient and timeline cards. Nice. Good for those of us who recognize that the family gene for improvisational cooking skipped a generation with us!

One variation I recall from my Scots mother's version of this is NOT mashing the potatoes, but ricing them (using a potato ricer) onto the top of the filling. I found that this added a nice look (it is mostly aesthetic as I can think of no important functional difference) and a few minutes of broiling at the end (after some lower temp cooking) seemed to brown up the top really nice (another poster had suggested that earlier).

If you want a different (and I think nicer) look to your pie (I won't touch the shepherds'/shepherd's/cottage dispute...), get a potato ricer and give me old mum's variant a try.

Also, having done this with corn a few times, I prefer kernel corn to creamed corn, but our mileage (or kilometerage) may vary.
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Brigal
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PostPosted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:48 pm    Post subject: something i saw on tv last night Reply with quote

I neat thing with sheppards pie i saw last night was to use a plastic bag and cut one of the corners to make a rather large hole to pipe the mashed potatoes on top in peaks and it seemed to brown a lot more and make a better crust and make for great presentation. just something i saw and will try when i get the chance.
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MrFerret
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 10:52 pm    Post subject: Worcester Sauce Reply with quote

You must never forget! The worcester sauce....

Without it it is just not right! Before cooking, inbetween cooking and after. Its like it was made for it

MrFerret
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Guest11
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:39 am    Post subject: Best Recipe I Found for Shepherd's pie Reply with quote

I will cook this again. It takes some time to prepare. One thing I did change was I sliced and boiled the carrots in the potato water. Smile
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cynnie
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 4:17 pm    Post subject: Shepards' Pie Reply with quote

This weekend my husband and I stopped in a local pub to have a quick bit to eat. He ordered a burger (of course) and I ordered the special, Shepard's Pie (it was made with beef). It was delicious! I couldn't eat it all so I got a doggie bag. The next day I decided to have it for lunch, my 17 year old son asked to try it and has been asking me to make it for dinner everyday since then. I have gone to my trusty recipe websites looking for a recipe but to no avail! I finally goggled Shepards' Pie and found this website! I love it! I will bookmark it for future use and I will defintely make Cottage Pie. I think I would prefer it with beef rather than lamb. The recipe and suggestions sound great and I will let you know how it turns out.
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One Who Knows
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2008 3:50 am    Post subject: A Hearty Tasty Shepherds Pie Reply with quote

A real hearty and tasty shepherds pie, contains the following!

Chopped meat. Carrots. Sweet Peas. Sliced Onions (mushroom gravy, beef gravy)better taste and more juicy. salt and pepper. Mashed potatoes (MILK and butter), water is no good, milk makes it creamier.
Do this and you'll find a winner!

Smile
Happy eatings
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JPF
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 16, 2008 4:04 am    Post subject: Mini pies Reply with quote

I did not have a baking dish, so instead I used some cupcake/muffin pans. I was able to make 12 individual serving pies from the recipe described above. However, they did not hold together very well upon serving.
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Terri
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 17, 2008 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I love this website! And I love Shepherd's Pie!

For those of you not counting calories, cook 4-5 slices of bacon until crispy, set aside and saute the veggies is the fat instead of the oil. I still remove the fat later on (before adding the flour). Crumble the bacon into the meat mixture at the end once they're cooled.

Personally, I don't use celery. Essential: One pkg of mushrooms (quartered) sauted with the veggies and several handfuls of frozen peas at the very end.

Worcestershire is a must, as well as a pinch of red pepper flakes. Final touch is liberal amount of sour cream into mashed potatoes and I triple the butter used in this recipe. No milk necessary. I've mixed in grated gruyere cheese to potatoes before too... sinful!!

I make this anytime I need to soften my fiancé up. Afterwards he's putty in my hands...
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