Midwestern Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie with Husk vegetables. An easy, hearty winter meal for the family.

I LOVE my Husk sweet corn. Really love it. Not exaggerating.  I keep looking for more recipes that include corn just so I can use more of it. This time it was the middle of winter and I was a little tired of soup but I still wanted to eat a comfort food. Healthier comfort food, that is. This is another great recipe made from what I had on hand. I ended up doubling the recipe and intended to freeze the rest. It never quite made it to the freezer as everybody ate it for lunch and supper for a couple of days without complaint. It was that good. This recipes is adapted from Gordon Ramsey's. See him cook it on this youtube video. It took maybe 25 mites prep time, which wasn't horrible. It's always hard for me to get an accurate count because the kids are running in and out, somebody has a homework question, the phone rings... You all know the drill. The most time-consuming part of the recipe is cooking the meat and making the mashed potatoes. The recipe as directed serves 6.

Ready to use. I forgot to thaw ahead of time. Just took a little while longer.

Ingredients:

Nonstick spray

2 lbs lean ground beef (I used ground deer meat)

fresh ground black pepper to taste

2 cups onions, peeled and finely chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped

1 small sprig fresh rosemary (a little goes a long way)

1 bag Husk sweet corn, thawed

1 bag Husk peas, thawed

1 bag Husk green beans, thawed

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons flour

7 ounces red wine

2 1/2 ounces Worcestershire sauce

1 liter chicken stock

2 lbs boiled potatoes

4 tablespoons butter

5 ounces milk

2 egg yolks

salt to taste

Parmesan cheese

1. In large skillet, brown the meat with the salt and pepper. Drain any fat that has cooked out. With the deer meat it is so lean that I never have this problem. Meanwhile add the potatoes to a large stockpot and begin to boil.
2. Next saute the onion and garlic with the thyme until the onion is translucent. Then add the meat, tomato puree, and sprinkle in the flour. Cook 2-3 minutes to cook the flour.
3. Add both red wine and worcestershire sauce and cook until half of the liquid has been reduced. Then add the chicken stock. Bring back to a boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes until the mixture is thick. Keep on low and add in Husk vegetables. They are already blanched so just need to be warmed, not cooked.
4. Mash the potatoes and add in butter, milk, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Spray non-stick spray in pan if you have a tendency to get things stuck like I do. Layer meat in first, then cover with potatoes. The recipe calls for Parmesan, but I forgot to pick it up at the store so I used some shredded cheddar in the fridge that needed to be finished off. I think the Parmesan would've been better, but you still can't go wrong with sharp cheddar!
6. Cook for 18-20 minutes to brown the potatoes.
7. Serve. Watch your normally picky eaters ask for seconds. Smile. Make a mental note to make more the next time so you'll have enough leftovers for another meal.
   

   

   Yum! Get a load of that delicious corn, peas, and green beans!