This is a simple dish I grew up with, and I've had its various permutations in one form or another. The great thing about it is, you can do anything to adjust it and introduce any ingredient and it still tastes wonderful.
The above was my first attempt to make one myself, and it worked out wonderfully.
It's a very forgiving dish, minimal spices required, and can easily be turned out for less than N1,000 in an evening. The secret to this dish is the filling, that rich marriage of meat and vegetables swimming in a thin gravy that just explodes out of the potato crust when you cut into the pie hot from the oven!
I made this as a gift for the hostess of a dinner (?) party/meet-and-greet I was invited to, and it was a huge hit amongst all present.
So what do you need to create this wonder dish?
A Pyrex casserole dish (I bought mine at Spar, but you can get good, deep ones at either Shoprite or any big departjment store near you).
A good oven.
Tin foil. This is in case you want to make it ahead and freeze until you're ready to eat (I made mine a day ahead and went about my business).
And here is the recipe:
Mash
12 medium Irish potatos
White pepper
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp canned milk
Filling
1 package, minced lean beef/lamb/chicken
Half of a whole smoked chicken, shredded
5 large carrots, finely diced
12 green beans, finely sliced
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
3 large onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large root ginger, washed, peeled and grated
Spices
Salt
Black pepper
Knorr cube
1 tsp, Ketchup
(Optional) Soy sauce, Oyster sauce
1. Peel potatos. Soak for an hour, rinse off floating starch. You want your potato crust to turn out fluffy. Excess starch will ruin that. Immerse in cold water, add salt and put on the boil. Boil until soft (about 10minutes),drain and pour potatos into large bowl. Set potato water aside.
2. Using potato masher, mash potatos one at a time, until a rough mash has formed. Add salt to taste, white pepper, bacon bits and/or sausage bits (whatever you feel like, really! Even spring onions)and combine till you're happy with the taste. Add butter, milk and 2 tbsp of potato water a little at a time and mix well, for a smooth, creamy consistency.
3. Pour oil into saucepan or pot. On low heat, fry onions for 2 minutes, covered. Add carrots, ginger, green beans, bell pepper, and green pepper, sauteeing lightly. Add minced beef and brown, tossing constantly and breaking up any chunks by pressing with the back of the cooking spoon. Cover for 5minutes. Open and add smoked chicken, then simmer for 3 minutes to reduce sauce. Let cool.
4. Pour half of the mashed potato into casserole dish. Cover the sides and bottom of dish with the mash. Pour in the filling, leaving a 1/4inch gap from the top. Any leftover filling is fantastic in sandwiches!
5. Spread remaining mash on top of filling to close. At this point, you can cover the whole thing with tin foil and freeze the pie as is, ready to bake within the next week, or it can go into the oven immediately.
Please note that if you choose to freeze it, it MUST come back down to room temperature before its baked.
6. Set gas oven to gas mark 3. Place casserole dish on the middle level. Bake for 30 to 45minutes. Top layer of mashed potatos should be golden brown and filling should be bubbling through at the edges. Remove from oven and serve hot.
7. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this pie as much as I do. With minimal fat, the beauty of the dish is in the gravy, and all the textures of the different vegetables in the filling. The potatos are a great source of dietary fiber as well! Mine was all gone before it even occurred to me to take pictures, so you'll just have to manage the one I took above, pre-covering!
You can read all about the history of this iconic Irish dish here.
Peace and blessings.
P.S. This is my own version of the famous shepherd's pie recipe. I am no cooking expert, and my palate is proudly African, so it has a decidedly Nigerian twist to it (which is fine by me, and it was fine by everyone who ate it).
