Shepherd's Pie AKA Hunting Rancher's Pie

I was looking for something new to do with our ground beef (we have a lot in the freezer right now), and was paging through the new (Feb. 2010) Martha Stewart Living when I ran across her recipe for Shepherd's Pie. I was intrigued by the use of parsnips and yogurt in the mashed potato topping, but not by the ground turkey or the weird chili powder in the filling. (chili powder? in shepherd's pie??) Not that I've ever had shepherd's pie, but chili powder just doesn't sound right to me.

I pulled out my American Classics cookbook, written by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine. You know, the people who test the daylights out of recipes to come up with the "Best" way to make them? So they suggested using diced lamb shoulder chops for the best flavor, which is probably true, but I've got ground beef. If I remember today I'll check the freezer in town for some lamb to add to the beef.

Then I remembered Shell's Shepherd Pie recipe that she posted back in November. It looks quite similar to the American Classics recipe, except doesn't call for wine. I like wine. The measurements are almost identical, but Shell's also adds corn. I like corn, too.

So this is what I decided. I'm going to use ground beef, and maybe some lamb. I'm going to use the Martha's topping and Shell's/American Classic's filling, with wine and Shell's corn. I won't even have to go to the store for this!

I think it will be the Best of Three Worlds. I guess we'll see. It doesn't sound very fast, but I'm still making it on a weeknight.

~~~~~

I couldn't find lamb in the town freezer, but I did grab a package of ground elk. Should be interesting. And delicious!

Okay. Had there not been excitement on the way home and subsequent emailing and reporting, I would have started this dish much earlier. Oh well. You can't eat on time every night, right?

I didn't really end up following any of the three recipes, except for ingredient lists, so we'll see how this goes. It's such a mishmash of ingredients and techniques and amounts, I believe I've changed more than enough to take credit for it now! It is smelling and looking delicious...but dinner was served almost an hour late. I could have left it in the oven for 5 more minutes to get just a bit more golden, but we were hungry!


And it IS delicious! I really like how it turned out, and ate too much. Number One and H-Bomb liked it too. Sawed Off wasn't really into eating tonight, but I'm sure he would have liked it, if he had tasted it. I guess technically with the elk and beef it should be called more of a Hunter's Pie or a Ranching Hunter's Pie, a Hunting Rancher's Pie? What do you think?


Min's Shepherd Pie
Inspired by Martha Stewart, American Classics, Shell & Alton Brown!

For the topping:
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces (I don't peel potatoes)
3 parsnips (6 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup plain yogurt
salt and freshly ground pepper

For the filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground elk (or lamb)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped coarse
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup full-bodied red wine
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon thyme leaves (dried, or chopped if fresh)
1 teaspoon rosemary (dried, or chopped if fresh)
1 cup peas (I used canned, drained; if frozen, thaw first)
1 cup corn (I used canned, drained; if frozen, thaw)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make the topping: Place potatoes and parsnips in a medium saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, and bring to a simmer. Cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, return to saucepan, add yogurt and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Mash and mix together; season with pepper.

Make the filling: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add meat and start cooking. Add onions and carrots, cook until vegetables are softened and meat is browned. Add garlic, flour and tomato paste and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add the broth, wine and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes until some of the liquid has been absorbed.

Remove from heat. Stir peas, corn, thyme and rosemary into meat mixture and check the seasonings. Pour the meat mixture evenly into a 2 1/2-quart casserole dish. With a large spoon, place the potato topping over the entire filling. Starting at the sides to ensure a tight seal, use a rubber spatula or a spoon to smooth out the potatoes and anchor them to the sides of the baking dish. (you should not see any filling).

Bake until the top turns golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes and serve.

Lamb You Can Eat with a Spoon

We had a lamb roast in the freezer we needed to eat. We usually make our fabulous Lamb Tacos, but it's not the weekend yet and I just didn't feel like I had the time. I was looking through some of my slow cooking cookbooks, and ran across this recipe in Slow Cooker Cooking by Lora Brody. I was excited that I'd finally be able to use my precious jar of herbes de Provence!

As I was reading through, and looking at the clock, I knew this meal wouldn't be ready until tomorrow. There are actually two recipes in one, the lamb and then the side dish of Flageolet beans with rosemary, so it definitely takes a long time. I went ahead with it, so tomorrow's dinner will just need a quick reheat after I make the beans.

It doesn't take long to put together, and it smells really good. I love shallots, and the wine mixture smelled great too. I can't wait to taste this.

Note: This is most definitely NOT a fast recipe. You need to plan ahead, get up early, or even prepare the dish for tomorrow's dinner. The lamb itself takes 10 to 12 hours, and if you're making the beans too, add another 2 to 6 hours on top of that!

While I wouldn't say you can eat "with a spoon," this lamb is delicious! I cooked it for just over 10 hours, then stuck the crock pot insert in the fridge until morning. I heated the pot on the "warm" setting for a couple hours while I ran H-Bomb to school, and when I got home I proceeded with slicing the meat and starting the beans.

The beans are another story. Let's just say dinner is over and we didn't eat beans with it. You can read about them here.

The lamb reheated in the oven beautifully. I completely forgot to take a picture. I'm blaming it on the beans.

Lamb You Can Eat with a Spoon
Yield: 8 servings
Cooking time: 10 to 12 hours on LOW
Slow Cooker Size: 5 1/2 to 6-quart oval

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 shallots, peeled and minced
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 (6-pound) shoulder of lamb, boned and rolled (4 to 5 pounds after boning) *I just used a lamb roast we had, and left the bone in*
10 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered lengthwise to form 40 slivers
1 tablespoon dried herbes de Provence (see Note)

Flageolets with Fresh Rosemary, optional

Heat the oil in a small saute pan over medium heat and saute the shallots until softened. Scrape them into the insert of the slow cooker.

Strew the carrots in the insert with the shallots. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together brown sugar, vinegar, broth, wine, mustard, and soy sauce, and then pour the mixture over the carrots.

Use a small sharp knife to make tiny slits all over the surface of the lamb. Insert a sliver of garlic into each one. Place the meat in the slow cooker and sprinkle with the herbes de Provence. Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 12 hours, or until the meat is extremely tender.

Transfer the meat to a cutting board and cut into 1-inch slices. Transfer the slices to an oven-proof serving platter. If you are not making the beans, simply serve the lamb. If you are making the beans, cover the lamb on the platter with foil and refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours while you prepare the Flageolets with Fresh Rosemary. Use the vegetable solids and cooking liquid in the slow cooker to make them.

When ready to serve, reheat the lamb. If you haven't already done so, place the lamb on an ovenproof platter, cover with aluminum foil, and place in a preheated 250 degree F oven for 30 minutes. For each serving, spoon some beans and their cooking liquid onto a dinner plate and top with slices of lamb.

Note: If you cannot find herbes de Provence, you can make your own by combining equal amounts of dried tarragon, rosemary, chervil, basil and thyme.

Greek Lamb with Spinach and Artichokes

This is a recipe I pulled out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine, I can't remember which month. I've had it in the back of my mind since then, trying to remember to pick up all the ingredients at the store (and waiting to go to a real grocery store to get some orzo since our grocery store doesn't carry it. of course.)

I finally remembered to grab some lamb out of the freezer in town. Of course, when I set out to actually put the recipe in the crock pot this morning, I realized I needed a roast but had grabbed stew meat instead. So our lamb will have some bones in it. I went ahead with the recipe.

The recipe is a "Prize Tested Recipe" and is attributed to Marie Rizzio of Interlochen, MI (very close to my home town! imagine that).

This dish is excellent! It smelled so good cooking all day long, and it was wonderful to come home to dinner that was basically ready. I cooked mine for 8 hours, and it was perfect. I had a problem with the orzo~it's too small to use any of my colanders. I strained it with the lid from the pot, which is always awkward. Oh well. It was a nice accompaniment. At the last minute, I forgot the feta cheese, but I suppose there is always next time, because there will definitely be a next time with this one. Yum!



Greek Lamb with Spinach and Artichokes
Makes 6 servings

2 to 2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder roast
1 19-ounce can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic (6 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
3 cups fresh baby spinach
3 cups hot cooked orzo (6 ounces uncooked)
Crumbled feta cheese (optional)

1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat in 1-inch pieces. In a 3 1/2 or 4-quart slow cooker stir together meat, beans, undrained tomatoes, garlic, salt, and oregano.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Stir in drained artichoke hearts and spinach.

3. To serve, spoon lamb mixture over hot cooked orzo. Sprinkle with feta cheese.

Five-Spice Lamb with Spinach

Tonight, I was looking for a lamb recipe that didn't require any marination, as it was just 40 minutes until dinner time. I found this recipe in my Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2007. Despite the fact that we didn't have any spinach, it sounded great. And, without the spinach, it was done in less than 30 minutes!

It went well with the acorn squash I had the foresight to throw in the oven earlier, and the "baked" potatoes we tossed in the microwave. The spinach sounds excellent, so one day when this meal is actually a plan, we will have that as well.

The lamb is tasty, and I still can't believe how fast and easy it was. Our lamb chops are small, so I only cooked them about 5 minutes on a side, and they were perfectly done. I also halved the cayenne pepper because of the boys, and just sprinkled the spices on both sides of the lamb instead of "coating" (I had some of the spice mix leftover). It was just about right: spicy enough for us, not too spicy for them. It's a delicate balance!

(The flash on my camera does nasty things to lamb, and it's dark outside, so this is the best I can do for the moment. Trust me, it tastes much better than it looks!)






Five-Spice Lamb with Spinach
Total: 30 minutes
4 servings
Wine pairing: Round, deep-flavored Syrah

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I used 1/2 teaspoon)
Eight 8-ounce lamb loin chops
Salt (I use kosher)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
1 pound clean bagged spinach, tough ends discarded

1. In a small bowl, mix the spices. Season the lamb with salt; drizzle with olive oil. Coat both sides of the chops with the spices.

2. In a very large skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil until shimmering. Add the chops and cook over moderate heat until browned and medium rare, 7 minutes per side.

3. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat until softened and golden. Add handfuls of the spinach to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring and adding more spinach after each batch wilts. Season with salt, mound on plates and serve with the lamb.

Barbacoa de Borrego

Also known as Min's Famous Lamb Tacos!

Lamb Barbacoa from the Backyard Grill has got to be one of our all-time favorite recipes from Rick Bayless' Mexican Kitchen. If you have ever been curious about preparing authentic Mexican foods, you cannot live without this book. Find one, and buy it.

This is slow-roasted lamb at its best. Although the roasting takes virtually all day for a larger roast, it is a simple dish to prepare. Almost everything else can be prepared ahead of time, and because it is roasted on the grill, there is virtually no clean up, and minimal hands-on time. The recipe also includes a soup that is cooked right underneath the lamb. We save the soup in the freezer for a rainy day, and it is delicious.


We usually prepare this dish for dinner guests, as we did last night. We have also prepared this special meal for Christmas Eve dinner--that is how good it is. The lamb roasts we buy are larger than the recipe calls for, so they take a bit more roasting time, but you just have to start a bit earlier. The roast pictured weighed almost 6 pounds. There are some things in the soup that we typically leave out, so I will leave them out of this post as well.


Lamb Barbacoa From the Backyard Grill

Serves 6 to 8, with 7 cups of soup

3 medium red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 cup cooked (or canned) garbanzo beans (I just throw in a whole can)

One 3-pound rolled and tied boneless lamb shoulder roast
Coarse salt

For serving:
- Salsa (my homemade Roasted Tomato-Jalapeño Salsa, if you're lucky enough to have the recipe)
- finely crumbled Mexican Queso Fresco or Queso Añejo (these come in 12-ounce rounds, we crumble the whole package with a fork)
- 1 cup good-quality olives (we use a mixture of jalapeño- and garlic-stuffed olives)
- warm tortillas

1. Preparing the grill and soup ingredients. You will need a gas grill with two controls--so you can turn off the flame on one side for indirect cooking, and two grill racks. (*If you'd like me to post the directions for charcoal, leave a comment and I will. I've never used charcoal, but you can) Turn on both sides of your grill to preheat, about 10 minutes or so before.

In a 12 x 9-inch heavy-duty aluminum foil pan (or something similar), combine the potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic and garbanzos. Position the pan to one side of the lower grate and turn off the flame under the soup. Pour water into the pan to about 1 inch from the top (it'll take about 5 cups). Position the second cooking grate 8 inches above the flame.

2. Grilling the meat. Sprinkle the lamb liberally with salt. Lay the roast on the top grate directly over the soup, and set an oven thermometer next to it, if you have one. (if you don't have one, I recommend you go out and buy one for this purpose.) Cover the grill and cook, maintaining a moderately low temperature (between 250 and 300 degrees), checking the temperature every 30 minutes. the will be beautifully smoky-roasted--it'll register about 170 degrees on a meat thermometer and be fall-apart tender in about 2 1/2 hours. Be sure to check periodically the slow-simmering soup that's capturing all those aromatic lamb juices to ensure the liquid level remains more or less the same, adding more water if needed.

3. Finishing the dish. With a big pair of tongs, a couple of meat forks or spatulas, remove the roast to a platter. Sprinkle with salt and let rest, loosely tented with foil, in warm place for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, with the precision of a steady-handed circus performer, carefully remove the pan of soup from the bottom of the grill. (I take a sheet pan out and slide the soup onto the pan before attempting to carry it. Also, since don't usually eat the soup with the meal, I just leave it on the turned-off grill until dinner is over--but don't forget to bring it in after dinner!!). Taste the soup and season with salt, usually about 3/4 teaspoon. Ladle into small, warm soup cups. (or into a container for freezing!)

Remove strings from lamb. Slice into good thick slabs and arrange on a warm platter. Strew the olives around the platter and carry to the table with a flourish. Pass the meat, salsa, cheese and lots of warm tortillas for everyone to make delicious soft tacos.

Lamb Chops with Dried Cherries and Port

This is a recipe from Bon Appetit. I was trying to think of something to make, and what do you know, we have some lamb here. We also happen to have all the ingredients for this recipe! Lucky day.




*Except, when I had thawed the package clearly labeled "Lamb Steaks," it was most certainly NOT steaks of any kind, nor chops: just some random stew meat of some sort. So, although the sauce was excellent, and the meat had good flavor, it was very chewy (because stew meat needs to stew all day--there's a reason!). We will make this again with a proper cut of meat, and repost the picture. Served it with slightly steamed, salted asparagus.


Lamb Chops with Dried Cherries and Port
Prep: 30 minutes/Total: 30 minutes/2 servings


2 teaspoons olive oil
4 4- to 5-ounce loin lamb chops
1/3 cup chopped shallots
3/4 cup ruby Port
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
3 tablespoons cherry jam (I used strawberry)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
chopped fresh mint or parsley

Heat oil in heavy nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Add lamb to skillet; cook to desired doneness, turning often, about 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to plate. Pour off drippings from skillet. Add shallots to same skillet; saute' 1 minute. Add Port, broth, cherries, jam, vinegar and cardamom; boil until cherries plump and liquid is syrupy, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over lamb. Sprinkle with mint.

Take 2:
This time, we had packages labeled "lamb chops" that were opened to miraculously reveal Lamb Chops! I thought we had dried cherries, but forgot that I had used them this Thanksgiving in my Classic Stuffing, so I substituted dried cranberries. Also, I was unaware that we have apparently run out of chicken broth, but I found a can of beef broth in the pantry. And lastly, I used part strawberry jam and part strawberry preserves...picture will be uploaded after the storm passes.

Min's Irish Lamb Stew

Just for the record, virtually all of my ancestors are Irish. So I believe that gives me the right to call whatever I create "Irish." You know, because I'm Irish, and I created it, therefore, it's Irish. Incidentally, two different friends who have been to Ireland have told me that I look like the majority of Irish people. Marlow even told me she swore she saw me over there! But alas, I was here. She must have seen my evil Irish twin or something...

So, after searching in vain for a recipe for Irish Lamb Stew for Easter for which we had every ingredient or that wasn't something like "boil lamb with potatoes and carrots," I decided to create my own. I haven't even tasted it yet, but I know it will be fabulous and you will love it. I made it a day in advance to allow the flavors to develop. We will have it tomorrow for Easter dinner.

Irish Lamb Stew

Olive oil
1/4 to 1/3 package bacon (just cut about three or four 1/2-inch slices from the short side of a package of sliced bacon, and it will be the right size)
1 pound lamb (stew meat or bite-sized chunks)--feel free to substitute beef
1/4 cup flour
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 potatoes, peeled and diced
2/3 cup white wine
1 cup frozen peas
4 cups beef broth (or equivalent water + beef bouillon cubes)
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon marjoram leaves
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat about 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven pan. Add bacon, and cook and stir until starting to brown, add onions, stirring. Add lamb and flour to a resealable plastic bag, shake to coat, and add lamb to pan with bacon and onions. Stir to brown lamb, then add garlic and stir.

Add carrots and potatoes, and stir. Add white wine, stir to combine. Add peas, broth, thyme and marjoram. You can add some salt and pepper at this point, but don't overdo it.

Heat to boiling, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are tender. (add more broth if necessary) Cool and refrigerate overnight in Dutch oven pan. Heat through before serving, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with crusty bread.

Happy Easter!

Grilled Lamb Chops with Garlic and Fresh Thyme

This recipe comes from one of our favorites, Bobby Flay. We just call him Bobby. In his cookbook, Boy Gets Grill, he lists this recipe as Grilled Lamb Chops with Garlic, Fresh Thyme, and Grilled Lemons. Which sounds amazing, but we have not remembered to get any lemons. The chops from our fresh lamb are perfect without the grilled lemons; we'll suffer through!

Serves 4; can be doubled for 6 to 8 (no need to double the marinade)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 sprigs fresh thyme (we've also used a bunch of dried thyme because it's winter. Still delicious)

8 (4- to 6-ounce) lamb rib chops

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 lemons, cut crosswise in half


1. Combine the oil, garlic and thyme in a shallow large dish or a thick, sealable plastic bag. Add the chops and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour. Remove the chops from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling.

2. Heat your grill to high. (Bobby is very particular about his grill and grilling, so if you really want to learn about grilling techniques, you should purchase one of his books. He knows his stuff). Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper.

3. Grill the chops (do not close the grill lid) until lightly charred and crusty, 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the chops over, reduce the heat to medium or move to a cooler part of the grill, and grill until just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. (do not overcook. you will regret it)

(This is where we stop and start eating. If you have lemons, you might try this next part as well).

4. Brush the cut sides of the lemons with olive oil and grill cut side down until lightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately, placing two chops and two lemon halves on each plate.

Leftover Lamb Curry

This is a recipe I used to "woo" my husband. I did a lot of cooking for him back then. This is one of our favorites, and although it is called "leftover" lamb curry, most of the time we make it with raw lamb, because we love it too much to wait! We recently butchered one of our lambs, so I am looking forward to several batches of lamb curry!

This is from the cookbook, Sunset Recipe Annual 1999, and the recipe itself is attributed to Will Bucklin of Oregon. It looks like you can pick up a paperback copy on amazon fairly cheap. I have doubled the spices to suit our tastes; I will note my changes in italics below.

The most significant and delicious change: substitute organic coconut milk for the chicken broth. See below; it is fantastic!

Prep and cook time: About 30 minutes

Notes: cooked chicken can be substituted for the lamb; increase total broth to 2-1/2 cups.

Makes: 4 servings

1-1/2 cups long-grain white rice (or Minute Rice, whatev)

1 pound cooked lamb, fat-trimmed (or 1 pound raw lamb, just cut it into strips and cook it up first)

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons curry powder (we use 4 Tablespoons)

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (we use 1 teaspoon)

1-3/4 cups chicken broth (just use the whole can! Or, this is our favorite substitute: 1 can organic coconut milk--you must try this.)

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

Salt and cayenne

Optional condiments: (we usually just serve with yogurt and cucumber)

1 firm-ripe banana, diced

1 cup plain yogurt

2/3 cup chutney

1 cup diced cucumber

1/2 cup dried currants

1. In a 2- to 3-quart pan, combine rice and 2-3/4 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until most of the water is absorbed, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is tender to bite, 10 to 15 minutes longer. (OR, just follow the instructions on whatever rice you're using!)

2. Cut the lamb into strips about 1/4 inch thick.

3. In a 5- to 6-quart pan over medium heat, combine oil, onion and garlic; stir often until onion begins to brown lightly, 6 to 7 minutes.

4. Add curry powder and cumin and stir until spices are fragrant, about 30 seconds.

5. Stir in meat. Add 1-1/2 cups broth or coconut milk and bring to a boil over high heat. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup broth. Stir into pan and stir until boiling resumes. Add salt and cayenne to taste. Spoon curry into a bowl.

6. Place condiments in small bowls. Serve curry with rice and condiments to add to taste.