Recipe for Shepherd's Pie with Beef, Ale and Mushrooms

A juvenile bald eagle sometimes joins us on our daily ski to Harpswell Cove but not when I bring my camera. 

My daughter took this photo of me.

Winter sports build up a big appetite. After Nemo dumped 26 inches of snow, I've been skiing every day with my friends and our dogs. My kids are on their school's Nordic Ski team. A crowd pleaser for the whole family is my husband's Shepherd's Pie. Henry (a Brit) crafted this recipe from his memory of the pub classic. The dark ale adds a special flavor, and Hobgoblin is one of our favorite British imports. You can also substitute another dark ale like Guinness; this dish is popular in Ireland too. The alcohol will evaporate with cooking so it's fine for the kids. I usually drink Hobgoblin with the meal and toast the marvelous chef. Cheers!

Ingredients:

1 ½ - 2 lbs minced beef (low fat eg 94%)

1 medium onion and/or 1 leek, chopped small

2-3 carrots, sliced

1- 2 stalks celery, chopped small

large handful of mushrooms, chopped to taste

½ tsp salt + fresh ground pepper

3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

½  tsp fresh thyme (dried is ok)

1-2 tsps (approx) fresh rosemary, chopped fine (dried is NOT ok!)

2 tbs flour

1 tbs tomato paste

½ - ¾ 12 oz bottle Hobgoblin or other dark ale

¼ - ½ cup chicken broth

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (or Soy Sauce, or steak sauce)

1 tsp redcurrant jelly

1-2 tsps dijon mustard

½ cup each of frozen peas + frozen corn

3-4 large russet potatos, peeled and quartered + some butter and milk

Cooking Instructions:

Set oven to 400%

Boil the potatos in lightly salted water till cooked (piercable by a knife, about 15-20 mins).   
Mash with about ½  tbs butter and some milk.

Brown the meat in a large casserole/dutch oven over medium heat with some olive oil, adding the onions/leeks, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic and finally the herbs and salt/pepper.

Add flour and stir together. 

Add tomato paste, then ale, cook till it reaches boiling (and the alcohol boils off) then add stock until you’ve got the right consistency (firmish)

Add mustard, worcestershire and redcurrant seasonings to taste

Cover and cook over v. gentle heat for 15-20 mins

Add frozen peas and corn

Put in a casserole dish, top with the mashed pots  (make sure the top is totally sealed by the pots, or the meat will spill over)

Brush lightly with butter (if wanted) and roughen the surface with a fork to get better browning plus crispier top

Cook in oven until browned, about 20 mins.

It tastes much better than it looks!

Click on the "recipe" label below to find more of Henry's recipes. He's a wonderful cook.

Recipe Watch: check out Gloria @ Canela's Kitchen. She posts her recipes in both English and Spanish. We have a special interest in her Chilean recipes since that is part of my husband's ethnic heritage.