Good morning, all!
IT’S FRIDAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!
I love Fridays. They’re fun. 🙂
For today, I want to share three exciting things with you.
1. On Tuesday it was 90*. Last night, we had frost. This rollercoaster of temperatures has really made it feel like autumn all of a sudden. I’m not totally ok with it yet, but I might as well embrace it. It has to happen sometime! With fall on summer’s heels, and a chill in the air, I thought today would be a good day to share my Shepherd’s Pie recipe with you all.
If you remember, I made this for my friend Sarah’s going away dinner. I wanted an authentic recipe, so who better to go to than Jamie Oliver? After looking at his recipe a bit, I decided it wasn’t enough for me. So instead of following it to a tee, I basically created my own recipe that I’m very excited to share with you all. Hopefully when I make this again, I’ll be able to get better pictures (including one of the mass of potatoes that tops this baby).
Shepherd’s Pie (egg, nut, and gluten free; possibly dairy free)
Ingredients:
– olive oil
– 1 medium white onion, chopped
– 2 stalks celery, diced
– 2 carrots, chopped
– 2 garlic cloves, minced
– 1.25 lb ground beef (I used 80/20 chuck)
– 2 tsp. dried rosemary
– salt and pepper, to taste
– 1 tbsp. (heaping) tomato paste
– 1/3 cup good red wine
– a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce
– 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
– 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
– 1/2 cup (scant) milk (I used skim cow’s milk, but you could use soy, rice, etc.)
– 1 stick unsalted butter (you could use margarine)
– 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
– salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil into the bottom of a large skillet or Dutch oven. Turn heat to medium-high.
- Add in onion, celery, carrots, and garlic, and cook until the veggies are tender; about 8 minutes.
- Add in the ground beef, rosemary, salt and pepper. Break up the beef and cook through.
- Stir in the tomato paste.
- Pour the wine, Worcestershire sauce, and broth over top, bring up to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Allow to cook, uncovered for about 45-60 minutes, or until almost all of the moisture has cooked out.
- Preheat oven to 375*F. Spray an 11-inch, rimmed pie plate with cooking spray.
- Meanwhile, place the cubed potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Season the water with salt, and boil until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes depending on the size of the cubes.
- Drain potatoes, and return to the pot. Add the milk and butter, and mash everything together until a smooth mixture is formed. (Some lumps are fine, but you want it pretty smooth.) Mash in the dried rosemary, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the beef mixture into the prepared dish. Top with the potatoes, and smooth the pillowy top.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden-brown.
- Enjoy!
Notes:
– If you are trying to make this recipe gluten free, be careful with the Worcestershire sauce and broth. Make sure you’re checking labels for GF!
– I used a too-shallow pie plate for this. This is partially why there was so much potato topping. Aim for a dish that has about 2 inch sides.
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2. Next up is the recipe for the Oatmeal Gingerbread. Unfortunately, I can’t claim this one as my own. Click HERE for the link to the original recipe! I will tell you, though, that I used a bit of whole wheat flour in place of some of the AP, and I used egg replacer in place of the egg. I also doubled the recipe to fit our “needs”. 😉
I can, however, claim the genius behind topping it with THIS amaaaaaaaaazing cinnamon syrup. The only difference between the recipe and what I made was that I added a bit of dried ginger to this syrup to help it echo the flavors in the gingerbread. GOSH this was a winning combo. Especially if topped with whipped cream.
Ella thought so, too.
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3. This news. Oh. Em. Gee. Let’s hear it from you HP people – what do you think???
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Righto, there’s my three things, and I’m off! Have a lovely weekend, everyone!
Liv Lives Life 
YUM these look delicious!! 🙂
Thank you!
proper comfort food 🙂
Exactly. 😀
I was about to flip over how good that recipe looks AND THEN I SAW YOUR THIRD LINK. FREAKINg. OUT. That was actually one of my favorite books ever, even if it was just one of her mini books. I freaking love that book and I am so so so excited.
Hahah that’s how I felt, too, when I saw the news! I don’t think I’ve read that book in ten years, but I’m going to have to dig it up. So exciting!
Both look so delicious! My husband introduced me to shepherd’s pie and I love it! I look forward to making it once the weather starts to get cooler (we are still experiencing 90+ degree weather!). I can’t wait for frost! 🙂 Have a great weekend!
Thanks! I love Shepherd’s Pie, but you’re right, it’s definitely more of a warm weather dish. 🙂
OMG that gingerbread looks amazing!!! How yummy!
Thanks!
YUM YUM YUM!!! 🙂 The syrup flowing on the sides made me want to lick my laptop! LOL!
Haha! That stuff is seriously too good. I love whoever created that recipe. 😉
I love shepherd’s pie when it starts to get cold out, so I’ll be holding onto your recipe for sure! That gingerbread looks too good to hold onto though, I want a slice right about now 🙂
Great, I hope you try it! Yeah, looking at these pictures is making me want a piece, too. 🙂
As for the third link… I’m so excited! Even more so that it seems like JK Rowling is going to be very involved with the process 🙂
As for the food, it all looks so good! Your photography styling is getting better and better. The first oatmeal picture in particular is just gorgeous.
Yes, definitely. I think it’s going to be key, though, for people *not* to expect a prequel to Harry Potter. It’s the same world, but different characters/plot, and I can see people getting upset about that. But *I* sure am excited!
Thank you! And thanks for noticing about my photography…your catching that makes me happy. 🙂 I’ve been trying to improve it!
[…] Liv’s Shepherd’s Pie […]
I love Jamie Oliver! He’s my favourite celebrity chef. Such a nice guy as well. And shepherd’s pie is such a comforting tasty and healthy meal. It’s got a bit of everything in there! Meat, veg and carbs. yum!
Yeah, he’s great! I never really knew/liked him too much until I was in England and I got to see more of him. He has a show (I can’t remember what’s it’s called, but I watched it on Channel 4 on my laptop) that I absolutely loved.
But yes, that’s exactly why I love shepherd’s pie, too!
Hi Liv! I love your blog — I’ve nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. To accept your award please visit my site for the rules at: http://sweetbakedlife.com/2013/09/21/honored-very-inspiring-blogger-award/
Aw, thank you so much! 🙂
You are welcome! Have a great day! 🙂