Braised Beef Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is something I ate a lot of as a kid. Growing up in a family of six and often having many friends at the house, my mom was always looking for nutritional meals to feed a small army (and not break the bank). Plus, there were picky eaters in the house, including myself back in the day, and catering to different preferences is tough! Shepherd's pie is something we all loved - except my vegan sister, that is.

I love it the way I had it growing up, but after many years of making the same recipe it was time for a change. I needed some spunk in my shepherd's pie and I have developed the perfect recipe to do just that! Toss the ground beef and go for browned stew meat braised in red wine, worcestershire and balsamic vinegar (perfect flavor combo for savory red meat) until it's pull apart tender... you're cutting it with a fork. There's a hefty dose of garlic and fresh thyme, but also that classic and convenient frozen veggie medley that you can't go without - aka it's perfect. Top it with creamy, freshly mashed potatoes and a few pats of butter and bake it until harmonious flavors are singing love songs inside the oven. I'm pretty sure that's what happens.

Did I mention it's all done in one pan? Cast iron, baby!

It's rustic and comforting and reminds me of home. I can picture my dad eating a massive plate of it covered in ketchup. Yes, in the Sedler house we always had our shepherd's pie with ketchup and bread and butter pickles. Don't knock it til you try it; It's the right thing to do! But I guess you don't have to because the red wine gravy the meat is soaking in in this recipe has plenty of saucy-ness and flavor to go around - but let's be real my dad would still put ketchup on it. And I love him for that.... and sometimes I do it, too. Judge me!

I've perfected this recipe after making it many times and I'll never go back to the ground beef version. It's straight up tha bomb. Unreal. So good. My boyfriend said he thinks it's the best shepherd's pie ever on earth... he's totally correct.

If you want to get really freaky with it substitute lamb. I love lamb like nobody's business but I also enjoy having money in my bank account and it seems like lately those are mutually exclusive - Hannaford feel free to call me when it goes on sale. Maybe that's what I'll spend my tax return on.... mmmm lamb. ("shepherd's pie" is actually with lamb and "cottage pie" is with beef but that's for the traditional people in Scotland & England, not us Americans who mix everything up)

This recipe is filling & hearty and overall just amazing comfort food to warm your insides..... perfect for single digit days in March and another nor'easter around the corner. You can even eat it for lunch every single day of the week and not get sick of it. You can trust me, I've done it.

This dish will forever remind me of my crazy family and I'm so thankful for that. Feel free to serve with bread and butter pickles.... and even ketchup.... you won't offend me.









Braised Beef Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients:
2 1/4-2 1/2 lbs stew meat or a chuck roast cut into 2" cubes
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 onion, diced
6 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 cups red wine
2 cups beef broth
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 springs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 cups mixed frozen veggies (corn, carrots, peas, green beans)
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup milk
3 tbsp butter, divided

Directions:

• Heat two tbsp oil in 10" cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. 
• Mix together cornstarch, salt and pepper in bowl and toss in meat to coat. Shake off excess cornstarch and brown meat in skillet for a couple minutes on each side. Add in the onion and garlic after a few minutes of browning and stir.
• Add wine, broth, worcestershire sauce, balsamic vinegar and thyme to skillet and stir gently. Bring mixture to a low boil and reduce heat to low, cover and lightly simmer for about two hours or until the meat is fork tender. Use the back of a wooden spoon to slightly break down some of the meat for a more "pulled" texture or you can leave the chunks as they are. Mix in the 3 cups of frozen veggies to the meat mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the mixture seems too liquidy to you, let it simmer a bit with the cover off.
• Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water until fork tender and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mash and mix with the milk, butter and season with salt and pepper. 
• Spread the potatoes evenly over the meat mixture and bake in preheated 425 oven for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes have crisped on the top. 
• Serve with bread and butter pickle chips... and ketchup if you're into that kinda thing :)