Shepherd’s Pie
Krystalyn frequently makes this for family gatherings as a vegetarian entrée option. If you want to make it vegan use olive oil rather than butter, and soy milk rather than milk.
Another option to make this lower carb, would be to replace the mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower. Just replace the potatoes on the top with this.
1 ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1⁄3 cup dry red wine
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs all-purpose flour
¾ oz dried mushrooms (I have found that shiitake are easiest to find in the Asian grocery)
3 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, and cut into large dice
5 tbs unsalted butter
2 lbs baby ‘bella mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ med yellow onion, finely chopped
3 med celery stalks, finely chopped
5 med garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 med celery root, peeled and small dice
3 med carrots, peeled and small dice
2 med parsnips, peeled and small dice
1 tbs finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1 tbs finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
2⁄3 cup whole milk
In a medium bowl, whisk together broth, wine, tomato paste, and flour until evenly combined and smooth. Stir in dried mushrooms and set aside to reconstitute, at least 30 minutes. Strain mushrooms before using, reserving liquid.
Possible variation: Rather than using mushrooms, to give the dish more of the texture of ground meat, you could choose to use TVP. I recommend a cup (which is equivalent to about a pound of ground meat). Treat this ingredient in the same way that you have treated the dried mushrooms above.
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with heavily salted water by 2 inches. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until fork tender.
Heat the oven on low broil and place a rack in the upper third. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a 3 to 4-quart Dutch oven (or oven-ready saucepan) over medium-high heat. When it foams, add half the mushrooms and cook, stirring rarely, until mushrooms are browned. Remove mushrooms from pan, season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and set aside. Repeat to cook off remaining mushrooms.
Return pan to stove over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter, onion, celery, and garlic, and cook until softened and golden. Add celery root, carrot, parsnip, and herbs, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until browned and softened.
Add wine mixture to pan and deglaze by stirring and scraping up any browned bits. Let cook until simmering and slightly thickened. Stir in reserved mushrooms and any juices that have accumulated and simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and reserve in pan.
When potatoes are ready, drain well. Return to pan and mash until uniformly smooth. Fold in remaining 2 tablespoons butter and milk, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If necessary, keep warm over low heat.
Dot potatoes over vegetable mixture and spread to edges of pan to cover completely. Rough up the surface of the potatoes so there are bits that will get browned and crunchy. Broil until top is golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve.