/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.5463850]

I'm cooking shephard's pie in a few minutes via the recipe from foodnetwork by alton brown.
Should any changes be made before I start?

[Anonymous No.5463908]

That recipe is great. There isn't really anything you have to do to it.

[Anonymous No.5463920]

You could change your shirt.

[Anonymous No.5463925]

Mind posting a link so I can chech it out?

The only rule to shepherd's pie is that the beef mince should be broken down fine, and you should use varied vegetables for texture. By that, I'll say for example you want some cooked sweated onions and celery for that almost mushy texture, fresh carrots n' green beans for that snap, and then corn and maybe some bell pepper if you swing that way for the in-between. Oh, and mushrooms n' beans are fine if you want to stretch it out.

[Anonymous No.5463940]

>>5463925
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/shepherds-pie-recipe2.html

Msuhrooms definitely, I hadn't thought of that! And I purchased a green bell pepper earlier today.

[Anonymous No.5463953]

>>5463925
>shepherd's pie
>beef mince

[Anonymous No.5463963]

>>5463940
My criticisms:
egg yolk doesn't really add anything noticable to mershed peterders. Also needs some sour cream, finely diced caramelized onions, cheese (I'd go with cheddar and parmesan), and bacon if you're feeling extravagant.

As for garlic, two cloves? This recipe seems kinda small, but I'd at least do half a head. preferably roasted in the potatoes, and finely chopped in the mince.

I like peas, but I'll have to say a lot more varied veg. And instead of tomato paste, I like using tomato based sauces for a little sugar. Ketchup would be a first thought, but you could go with heinz 57, or my personal yet regional favorite of secret stadium sauce.

I don't see the point in parchment at all. Just use a lil olive oil and paper towel (could also be non-stick instead of glass)

Probably a lot of little nuanced nitpicking, but you should always add a fuckton of black pepper, maybe something a little acidic (like malt vinegar or hot sauce) and something with a little heat such as red pepper flake.

I also like to add alcoholic things to my food for depth. You could either go with red wine, which is good with beef, or some beer to give it a more robust flavor. I don't use dark beer when cooking, but some do, and I would say shepherd's pie would be good for a darker beer (I think Guinness is the standard Irish way to make it).


Other than that, yeah. I wouldn't say that' the best shepherd's pie recipe I've seen, but it definitely does not look bad.

[Anonymous No.5463968]

>>5463953
aand of course the shepherd/cottage pie semantic guy has to show up.

Use whatever ground meat you want, hell I bet some buffalo would be fucking awesome!

[Anonymous No.5463977]

>>5463968
>>5463953
Use both beef and lamb you fuck goat ropers.

[Anonymous No.5463989]

Yes. Cook a dish that is actually good.

[Anonymous No.5463997]

AB's recipe is pretty much spot on, but there are a few optional things you can change if you like. I sometimes use mushrooms in there, and a splash of red wine as well.

Also, the potatoes are really good with some parmesean cheese in them.

>>5463968
I think it would dry out too much, but I may be wrong. I've heard it's really good with venison though.

[Anonymous No.5464009]

>>5463968
Shepherds didn't herd cows you fuck stick.
If it has beef in it, it's a cottage pie.

[Anonymous No.5464030]

Replace the carrots with parsnips for a much stronger flavor.

Replace the canola oil with butter.

Add a shallot with the onions.

Corn? Unnecessary. I vote replace the corn with small mushroom caps cut into quarters since you were planning on putting mushrooms in it anyway.

Roast a bulb of garlic and add that to the mashed potatoes.
When I roast garlic I like to remove the cloves first and put them in a lightly greased sheet of tin foil that I wrap around them into a parcel and toss into the oven for a while. I like to do it slowly on low heat but you really don't have to do it that way.

[Anonymous No.5464063]

>>5464009
cottages don't herd cows either

[Anonymous No.5464125]

>>5464009
>>5464063
Anon's got you there.

[Anonymous No.5464131]

>>5464063
Maybe not where you come from, but my country has a long tradition of cottage-herd cattle.

[Anonymous No.5464409]

>>5463850
>using a recipe for shepard's pie
it's one of those things like chili or meatloaf that you should be making by your own specifications

the only thing you need to assure that you have a proper pie is that the bottom is minced meat with vegetables and any kind of gravy, the top is mashed potatoes, and the whole thing is baked

seriously, just do it up how you like. if you like spicy shit, toss some chipotle or jalepenos in the bottom. if you like classy, use veal. if you like mediterranean, use lamb and lots of herbs with maybe some lemon. you can do what you want with the potatoes too, cream, cream cheese, sour cream, cheese or cheese sauce. customize it based on what YOU like man

[Anonymous No.5464412]

>eating medieval peasant food

[Anonymous No.5464422]

>>5464409
This. Shepherd's pie is extremely personal. Everyone makes it a little differently, there's no "set" recipe ,even though a lot of people, including celebrity chefs (I'm looking at you, Ramsay) have tried to set a a recipe for it. Mince, veg, gravy/sauce, seasonings, potatoes. Personally, I like super fluffy mashed potatoes on my pie, which means little to no dairy (except for butter), but highly seasoned (chives, salt, cracked pepper, roasted garlic) and I'm a fan of beef as the mince, more than lamb, but again, that's personally preference. Also, I make the sauce with beef consomme (plus drippings) instead of just drippings or stock, because it's just so much more flavorful. Sometimes, if I'm feeling extravagant, I'll add a little cream to the gravy, to make it super rich (when I've done this for guests, they seem to really enjoy it).

[Anonymous No.5464423]

>>5464063
#shrekt

[Anonymous No.5464467]

I always add a finely chopped lamb kidney to my shepherd's pie.

[Anonymous No.5464472]

I always thought shepherds pie was basically meatloaf covered in mashed potatoes

[Anonymous No.5464483]

>All these fine continental gentlemen advocating peppers, mushrooms and corn

I know there's no 'right' way, but inwardly my childhood is rebelling

[Anonymous No.5464715]

1. the shepherd's/cottage pie thing is a completely fabricated distinction so stop being pedants about it

2. why does every american say 'shephard's pie' how can you get above the age of 7 without being acutely aware of what a shepherd is they're in like 99 percent of all children's stories across time

3. i like to put anchovies in it and if you can get a hold of lamb stock that shit is GOAT