Friday Night Shepherd's Pie

I made this recipe once before a couple of years ago, but forgot how unbelievably delicious it is.  Shepherd's Pie is one of those dishes that is warm, comforting, and uses really easy ingredients.  This particular version adds a few extra ingredients to make it rich and luxurious.  I also added my own twist to customize it to our taste buds.  Served alongside roasted broccoli, homemade sourdough bread, and a bottle of red wine this was the perfect dish for our Friday night dinner.

Steak House Shepherd's Pie
(adapted from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book)

2 lbs Idaho potatoes, peeled and chunked
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, diced
1/2 lb mushrooms, quartered (mine were bigger so I cut them into sixths)
1 cup of frozen peas
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
1 1/2 cups beef stock
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 lb. blue cheese crumbles
1 green onion, chopped finely
Paprika (for sprinkling on top of the potatoes)

1. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover them with water.  Bring to a boil and allow to cook for 12-15 minutes until fork tender.  Drain the potatoes (reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid) and return them to the pot you cooked them in so they can dry out a bit.

2. While the potatoes are cooking: over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef until no pink remains.  Add the onions, mushrooms, and peas and cook until they become softened.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

 

3. In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Whisk in the flour and stir briefly until the mixture becomes light brown in color.  Add the beef stock and Worcestershire and cook until thickened (about 6 minutes).  Season with salt and pepper and add the gravy to the beef.  Pour this mixture into a 9x13 baking dish.

4. Temper the egg yolk by whisking it with the reserved cooking liquid. Add this to the potatoes along with the sour cream and blue cheese crumbles.  Stir to incorporate.  Fold in the green onions, and some salt.  Spread the potatoes over the beef mixture.  Sprinkle with paprika and pepper.

 5. Place in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to brown the potatoes a bit.

Enjoy!