Sally’s Kitchen & Stuff

This is as far as you can deviate from the typical sheppard’s pie and still call it that. The sweetness of the yam off-sets the saltiness of the meat very well, and since it requires neither a huge helping of butter nor an addition of chicken broth, it’s actually healthier on top of being tastier.

This takes HOURS unless you turn on a few burners at once. But it’s tasty enough to warrant an afternoon in the kitchen, and it’s pretty much guranteed to NOT fall apart the moment you dig in, and yet still moist and juicy. Pair this with a salad and some light veggies and you’re set for dinner. Feeds 8 teenagers, 10 adults.

Ingredients
1 package of lean ground beef (a couple of pounds, give or take)
1 package of pork sausage (uncooked, about 6 big ones)
1 & 1/2 CUP of Italian style breadcrumbs
A generous helping of Green Pepper Tabasco sauce
1 TSP sea salt
1 TSP fresh ground pepper

1 CUP of chicken broth
2 CUPS of sliced white mushrooms
2 TBSP butter
1 TBSP flour
1 red onion, chopped to bits
5 cloves of garlic, mashed

4-5 big Yams (about 7 inches long) steamed, peeled and mashed

Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, combine beef, sausage (out of their casing), breadcrumbs, tabasco sauce, salt and pepper. Work the ingredients in with your hands until evenly mixed. Brown, in batches if necessary, in a pan, until MOSTLY cooked. Mash a little with a potato masher to expose the raw bits. (This will help the pie "glue" together in the pan as it cooks) Pack the mixture into the bottom of a roasting pan / casserole dish, as tight as you can make it. If you overcooked the meat at this point the whole pie would crumble later, but it won’t affect the taste. I prefer the roasting pan because it gives the sides a nice crust, but it’s really up to you.

Saute the onions in the same pan, adding 1/2 cup of chicken broth slowly to draw out the oil, while scraping the bottom of the pan to add to the sauce any browned bits from the meat. When the onions start to brown, add garlic, and water if necessary to keep it moist but not dripping. Evenly top the meat with the mixture.

Saute mushrooms in butter, 1/2cup of chicken broth and flour. Cook until it’s not drippy and mushrooms are cooked. Layer this on top of the onions.

Lastly, evenly smooth on mashed yam, and brush with buttter to prevent it from drying out. Pop it into a 375 degree oven and cook for about 30 minutes. If you want browned sides, make it 40. The yam is NOT going to brown, but will stay moist and hot and keep all the moisture inside the pie.

Mom said it was the best shepperd’s pie she’s ever had.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 15th, 2006 at 1:05 pm and is filed under Sally's Kitchen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.