Today, I share three videos about a shepherd's pie along with recipes for both it and a similar beef version know as cottage pie based on techniques and recipes of a tv chef.
I first became fascinated by the personality & cooking style of British chef Gordon Ramsay by watching the competitive Hell's Kitchen cooking contest & the Kitchen Nightmares restaurant revamps (shown in the states on the FOX channel). It wasn't long before I decided to make one of his dishes. My daughter & I chose to prepare his Shepherd's Pie, since it is traditional to the country he comes from plus he says its based on his mother's recipe. The grated veggies, fresh herbs & lean meat make a delightfully warm comfort food that nourishes the body & delights the tastebuds.
Below is a minute and a half video run through of the shepherd's pie recipe. Ramsay gives no real measurements & the explanation flows like jazz. I looked online for better details, but most were guesstimates by other viewers. So I compiled the recipes below based on both his cookbook versions with improvements based on these and other videos of him making the dish. We took photos of our pie when it was done & the next week my computer crashed taking with it the notes of the recipe. Now a year later I persevere to re-create the recipe to share with you here. This time I learned the big difference between shepherd's pie (lamb) and cottage pie (beef) is the meat used.
Gordon Ramsay prepares Shepherd's Pie on "Fast Food"-
Shepherd's pie
(Serves 4)
2 tsp olive oil
2 lbs. ground minced lean lamb
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, finely grated
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
Handful of fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, needles chopped
1 c. red wine
10 oz. chicken stock
1 1/2 lbs. Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 1/2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/4 c. Parmesan, for grating
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
Step 2. Brown the meat & oil in a large pan. Drain well of oil. Stir the grated onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
Step 3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Mash potatoes then beat in the egg yolks & cream, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Taste to see if it needs pepper or salt.
Step 4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season. Fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown
Teaching Finn McCool's chef on Kitchen Nightmares: (NY) -
Gordon teaches a father how to make the dish (UK)-
Cottage Pie With Guinness
(Serves 6)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs. ground lean minced beef
Sea salt and black pepper
3 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Few thyme sprigs, leaves only
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
1-1/3 cup Guinness
5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-1/4 cup beef stock
4 1/4 c. floury potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed
3 1/2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan or cheddar, plus extra for grating
(optional 1 tsp creamed horseradish)
1 large egg yolk
Step 1: Place a large frying pan over high heat and add a thin layer of olive oil. Season the mince meat with salt and pepper and fry, stirring, in two or three batches, until nicely browned. Once cooked, tip the mince into a sieve or colander to drain off the fat. No one likes a greasy pie.
Step 2: Place another large pan over medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. When hot, fry the onion, with garlic and thyme, for 8-10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the browned mince, tomatoes and tomato purée. Stir constantly for 4-5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the Guinness and Worcestershire sauce and boil until the liquid has reduced by half. Pour in the stock and return to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20-25 minutes, by which time the mixture should be thick and glossy. Continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes if it doesn’t seem quite thick enough. Remove from the heat.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, add the potatoes to a pan of salted water, bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and return to the hot pan for 15 seconds or so, to dry out, then take off the heat. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer back into the pan or mash smoothly. Mix through the butter, cheese and egg yolk. (for optional spicier pie, add horseradish to the potato mixture) Taste and adjust the seasoning of salt or pepper.
Step 5: Spoon the mince mixture into the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon the mashed potato on top and rough up the surface with a fork. Grate over some extra cheese and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
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Ramsay has written a few cookbooks (which were converted here from metric for american cooks by me below), in addition to an autobiography called Humble Pie. He was born in Scotland but has lived in England since age 5 & is married with 4 kids. His first Michelin stars were awarded around age 29. Gordon owns & operates over 16 restaurants around the world.
If you enjoy his American shows, check out the un-bleeped, UK versions of "Kitchen Nightmares" and the amazingly clever restaurant competition "Best Restaurant" (both on netflix). As hostile as he seems to the contestants on Hell's Kitchen, he is downright generous & patient with rare restauranteurs he feels give a damn on "Kitchen Nightmare". Now don't get me wrong, Ramsay continues to be unrepentant about his loyalty to high quality ingredients even at the expense of his guests' feelings (at least 2 ex-contestants have committed suicide after being on his shows). Love him or hate him, his ideas about cuisine & head for the restaurant business are on point, even if his people skills do make for entertaining tv.
SOURCES
Shepherd's Pie recipe from: Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food- recipes from the F Word, published by Quadrille (2008) http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/gordon-ramsay/shepherds-pie-recipe
Cottage Pie recipe from: Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food, published by Harper Collins Canada (2009) http://houseandhome.com/food/recipes/gordon-ramsays-cottage-pie-guinness-recipe
Metric recipe converter found at: http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking
Article about Ramsay's family:
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/entertainment/movies/article/6692--tana-ramsay-wife-of-noted-chef-gordon-has-a-cooking-style-all-her-own
Great aussie blog about Ramsay's credentials:
http://goodfoodgoodwine.com.au/?p=98
Below is a minute and a half video run through of the shepherd's pie recipe. Ramsay gives no real measurements & the explanation flows like jazz. I looked online for better details, but most were guesstimates by other viewers. So I compiled the recipes below based on both his cookbook versions with improvements based on these and other videos of him making the dish. We took photos of our pie when it was done & the next week my computer crashed taking with it the notes of the recipe. Now a year later I persevere to re-create the recipe to share with you here. This time I learned the big difference between shepherd's pie (lamb) and cottage pie (beef) is the meat used.
Gordon Ramsay prepares Shepherd's Pie on "Fast Food"-
Shepherd's pie
(Serves 4)
2 tsp olive oil
2 lbs. ground minced lean lamb
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, finely grated
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
Handful of fresh thyme sprigs, leaves only
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, needles chopped
1 c. red wine
10 oz. chicken stock
1 1/2 lbs. Yukon potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 1/2 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1/4 c. Parmesan, for grating
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
Step 2. Brown the meat & oil in a large pan. Drain well of oil. Stir the grated onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost completely evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened.
Step 3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Mash potatoes then beat in the egg yolks & cream, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan. Taste to see if it needs pepper or salt.
Step 4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Using a large spoon, layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season. Fluff up the mash potato with a fork to make rough peaks. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown
Teaching Finn McCool's chef on Kitchen Nightmares: (NY) -
Gordon teaches a father how to make the dish (UK)-
Cottage Pie With Guinness
(Serves 6)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs. ground lean minced beef
Sea salt and black pepper
3 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
Few thyme sprigs, leaves only
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
1-1/3 cup Guinness
5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-1/4 cup beef stock
4 1/4 c. floury potatoes, peeled and roughly cubed
3 1/2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp finely grated Parmesan or cheddar, plus extra for grating
(optional 1 tsp creamed horseradish)
1 large egg yolk
Step 1: Place a large frying pan over high heat and add a thin layer of olive oil. Season the mince meat with salt and pepper and fry, stirring, in two or three batches, until nicely browned. Once cooked, tip the mince into a sieve or colander to drain off the fat. No one likes a greasy pie.
Step 2: Place another large pan over medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. When hot, fry the onion, with garlic and thyme, for 8-10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the browned mince, tomatoes and tomato purée. Stir constantly for 4-5 minutes.
Step 3: Add the Guinness and Worcestershire sauce and boil until the liquid has reduced by half. Pour in the stock and return to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 20-25 minutes, by which time the mixture should be thick and glossy. Continue to simmer for another 5-10 minutes if it doesn’t seem quite thick enough. Remove from the heat.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Meanwhile, add the potatoes to a pan of salted water, bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain and return to the hot pan for 15 seconds or so, to dry out, then take off the heat. Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer back into the pan or mash smoothly. Mix through the butter, cheese and egg yolk. (for optional spicier pie, add horseradish to the potato mixture) Taste and adjust the seasoning of salt or pepper.
Step 5: Spoon the mince mixture into the bottom of a baking dish. Spoon the mashed potato on top and rough up the surface with a fork. Grate over some extra cheese and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
---
Ramsay has written a few cookbooks (which were converted here from metric for american cooks by me below), in addition to an autobiography called Humble Pie. He was born in Scotland but has lived in England since age 5 & is married with 4 kids. His first Michelin stars were awarded around age 29. Gordon owns & operates over 16 restaurants around the world.
If you enjoy his American shows, check out the un-bleeped, UK versions of "Kitchen Nightmares" and the amazingly clever restaurant competition "Best Restaurant" (both on netflix). As hostile as he seems to the contestants on Hell's Kitchen, he is downright generous & patient with rare restauranteurs he feels give a damn on "Kitchen Nightmare". Now don't get me wrong, Ramsay continues to be unrepentant about his loyalty to high quality ingredients even at the expense of his guests' feelings (at least 2 ex-contestants have committed suicide after being on his shows). Love him or hate him, his ideas about cuisine & head for the restaurant business are on point, even if his people skills do make for entertaining tv.
SOURCES
Shepherd's Pie recipe from: Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food- recipes from the F Word, published by Quadrille (2008) http://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/gordon-ramsay/shepherds-pie-recipe
Cottage Pie recipe from: Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food, published by Harper Collins Canada (2009) http://houseandhome.com/food/recipes/gordon-ramsays-cottage-pie-guinness-recipe
Metric recipe converter found at: http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/cooking
Article about Ramsay's family:
http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/entertainment/movies/article/6692--tana-ramsay-wife-of-noted-chef-gordon-has-a-cooking-style-all-her-own
Great aussie blog about Ramsay's credentials:
http://goodfoodgoodwine.com.au/?p=98