Monday, December 3, 2012
Rachael Ray's Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie
Let's be honest there is just never a dull moment with me. I barely escaped Oakland yesterday as rainpocalypse or whatever the hell the weather people were calling it came to town. I got to the airport only to find that my flight had been canceled, but they told me I had 10 minutes to get on an earlier flight. And whereas some people would freak out with this news I merely took it as a challenge...and made it on that flight. My luggage was not quite as successful and did not make it home until 8pm, but at least it was on the trip home and I wasn't stranded in a far off land with no chonies, so all was good.
When potatoes are tender, add a ladle of cooking water to the egg. Drain potatoes and return to the warm pot to dry them out a little. Add remaining 1/2 cup sour cream, butter, half of the chives, and salt and pepper. Smash and mash the potatoes, mashing in the beaten, tempered egg. If the potatoes are too tight, mix in a splash of milk.
Once I landed all I could think of was how quickly I could get to a stove and start cooking. I love eating at restaurants however after 3 days I was ready to cook some homemade food. So the first stop after the airport was the grocery store to buy the ingredients for Rachael Ray's Smoky Turkey Shepherd's Pie.
Now I know I am not the only person on the face of the Earth that has wondered where the name "shepherds pie" came from, right? Well let me tell you what I learned. The original shepherd's pie was made from lamb and since the shepherds guarded the lambs...well a dinner dish was born. Now for the interesting part, did you know?
- If the pie has beef in it instead of lamb it is called a cottage pie or cowboy pie
- It was originally created as a way to use leftovers and throw them all in one pot
- The dish is traditionally British
- Shepherdess pie is a vegetarian version using TVP or beans or some fake meat product
- Fisherman's pie has fish in it...now that is a creative one, ay
So last night my best friend and I decided to try Rachael Ray's version. We boiled the potatoes. Yes, that part was pretty easy.
Then we browned the bacon in olive oil. I did find that although this recipe has you cook the bacon it never mentions it again. So since we didn't know where to add it back in we just used it as a garnish for the top with the chives...seemed to work out just swell!!
After the bacon is browned cook the ground turkey in the same pan. Season the turkey with smoked paprika, salt and pepper. I also added a little bit of cumin just for some added flavor. When the turkey is browned, add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the bell peppers and peas. Stir in the flour, the stock and finally the sour cream.
The recipe for the potatoes was really interesting. When the potatoes were done the recipe calls for a ladle full of cooking water to be added to a beaten egg. I have never seen a recipe for mashed potatoes that contained an egg so I did a little research and I found that the egg can help stiffen the mashed potatoes. And since these potatoes are going on top of a casserole you don't want them to get too liquidy. Once you drain the potatoes add sour cream, butter, salt and pepper and mash them. Add in the egg mixture and a little bit of milk and then put those potatoes on top of the turkey mixture.
Put the casserole in the broiler until the potatoes are golden and garnish with the chives, paprika and in my case the bacon.
This recipe was perfect for a rainy evening. I served the Shepherd's pie with Morgan Pinot Noir which went well with the smoked paprika, starch of the potatoes and the atmosphere of the evening. Special thanks to EB for being my photographer. Cheers!
- 3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed
- Coarse salt
- 2 tablespoons EVOO - extra-virgin olive oil - 2 turns of the pan
- 1/4 pound smoky bacon or turkey bacon, chopped
- 1 1/3 pound ground turkey breast
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, available in small cans on spice aisle of market
- (You may substitute 1 1/2 teaspoons each sweet paprika and cumin combined)
- Coarse black pepper
- 2 tablespoons, 5 or 6 sprigs, fresh thyme leaves
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 ribs celery from the heart, chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour cream, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 10 to 12 blades fresh chives, chopped or snipped
Directions
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, salt it, and cook the potatoes until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
Heat a deep, large skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, to the skillet. Add bacon and brown it up, then add ground turkey to the pan and break it up. Season the turkey with smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and thyme. When turkey browns up, add: onions, carrots, celery. Season the veggies with salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes, then add red pepper and peas cook another 2 minutes. Stir in flour and cook flour 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and combine. Add 1/2 cup of sour cream and combine. Simmer mixture over low heat.
Preheat your broiler to high.
When potatoes are tender, add a ladle of cooking water to the egg. Drain potatoes and return to the warm pot to dry them out a little. Add remaining 1/2 cup sour cream, butter, half of the chives, and salt and pepper. Smash and mash the potatoes, mashing in the beaten, tempered egg. If the potatoes are too tight, mix in a splash of milk.
Pour turkey mixture into a medium casserole dish. Top turkey with an even layer of smashed potatoes and place casserole 5 inches from hot broiler. Broil the potatoes until golden at edges and remove the casserole from the oven. Garnish the casserole with the remaining chives and a sprinkle of smoked paprika.
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