Cheddar-topped Shepherd's Pie
I got this recipe from a magazine for the month of October. It is wonderful and very easy!
I got this recipe from a magazine for the month of October. It is wonderful and very easy!
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 lbs baking potatoes about 4 peeled and thinly sliced
- coarse salt and ground pepper
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 medium carrots halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
- 6 stalks celery thinly sliced
- 2 lbs ground beef chuck
- Carbohydrate 34.8252869559923 g
- Cholesterol 99.169375 mg
- Fat 25.7817026116498 g
- Fiber 5.66143690897242 g
- Protein 30.906782997671 g
- Saturated Fat 11.3726004521296 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (377g)
- Sodium 485.090880329898 mg
- Sugar 29.1638500470199 g
- Trans Fat 2.92540840517086 g
- Calories 494 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the top of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5 qt Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion and thyme. Cook; stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook stirring, 1 minute. Add beef, cook stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water; bring to a boil; and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.
- Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar potato topping with salt and pepper.
- Pour beef filling into a 13x9 inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to even out with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Potatoes and Starch Behavior
Baking potatoes supply high starch content that dictates the texture of the topping. Boiling requires 15 to 20 minutes in water salted sufficiently to season the interior cells. Draining thoroughly and evaporating residual moisture over medium heat for 1 minute prevents a gluey mouthfeel by gelatinizing surface starches before mashing. Whole milk introduces moisture and fat, while 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese incorporates emulsified proteins that stabilize the mash.Meat and Vegetable Emulsions
Ground chuck provides the necessary fat ratio to bind the vegetable mirepoix of carrots, celery, and onion during the 8 to 10 minute sauté. Tomato paste contributes glutamates and pectin, acting as a natural thickener alongside the 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour cooked for 1 minute to eliminate raw starch flavors. Simmering the mixture with 1 cup of water creates a rich sauce that clings to the protein strands without pooling.Baking Dynamics and Substitutions
High-temperature baking at 450 degrees Fahrenheit rapidly transfers heat through a 13x9 inch baking dish. Fork-tines dragged across the potato surface create jagged peaks that catch direct heat, browning the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese during the 20-minute bake. Swapping starchy baking varieties for waxy red potatoes alters the mash density, yielding a denser, less fluffy topping due to lower starch content. Whole milk can be replaced by heavy cream at a 1:1 ratio, increasing fat content and resulting in a richer, sturdier crown.
