Old Goat-Herder's Pie This is Chez Winant's take on a traditional Shepherd's Pie. The name change reflects the awesomeness that is Bruce Campbell, and the kick-ass, totally Bruce movie on Sunday called, "The Fall of Same Axe." If you don't get the reference, Bruce Campbell, or don't watch "Burn Notice," then I'm really sorry for you and for what you're doing to your children. Shepherd's Pie is a very, very, very traditional British savory pie, using mashed potatoes instead of a top and bottom crust. Traditionally, it also has a very well-deserved reputation for being bland, like a lot of British cooking. My approach to this dish, which dates back to the 18th century, brings in a lot of fresh herbs and spices, like sweet peppers, garlic, and fresh herbs instead of dried. You can make it as one big casserole in a 9x13" pan, or even a stove-tooven pan (I love mine). I like to use brightly-colored, individual, oven-safe casserole dishes that I've collected along the way. Who really wants to share the crunchy bits in the corners? "Not I," said the little red head. To save you a headache, I'll give directions for a single dish. As usual for my cooking, I make enough to feed an entire crew of pirates, because I send leftovers with my loved ones for lunch the next day (and possibly the next). Rule #1 in our kitchen is that nothing goes to waste. Well, we try to live by that. Occasionally, we end up with a suspect cucumber or severely wilted mustard greens. It happens. Moving on… I don't believe in bland. It's lazy. It's also very British. It's so easy to spice up a dish with a few minutes of work. I go out with shears and a bowl and clip from my oregano, basil, mint, tarragon, marjoram, etc. Chop, toss in a hot skillet to release their fragrance and flavor, then they're ready to use. Simple! Even if you don't have a spice garden, and you just use dried herbs, you're still making the effort to introduce complex flavors into your dishes. You'll see below that I've even introduced mild, yellow curry powder into the recipe. Just a half tablespoon, a bit of ginger, some Dijon mustard, and, again, moving on… The Breakdown: Shepherd's Pie is basically ground meat of some sort (pork, beef, lamb – I go for beef), peas, carrots, stock, and topped with mashed potatoes. Pretty basic, pretty standard, anything you can find in a pub in Leicester. Well, I know that it can be better. The introduction of garlic, for one thing, just makes the dish come to life. Fresh tomatoes, an on-its-way-out Anaheim pepper, fresh herbs (basil, tarragon, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, and thyme), herbs de Provence, a bit of spicy whitewine mustard, cardamom seeds, ground ginger, mild yellow curry powder, fleur de sel, pink peppercorns, and chicken stock (organic, free-range, and low sodium, but use what's in your pantry and within your budget), all added a bit of life to the tired pub fare. I used a whole head-and-a-half of garlic tonight for this, along with 4 scallions, the "more bang for your buck without killing your spouse at bedtime" member of the onion clan, as well as an entire bunch of green onions, and sautéed the whole thing. Total scent overload – the whole house smelled edible. I divided the onion-garlic sautee 3-to-1, using the bulk in the filling, and the rest in the hummus I had going on the back burner for my mom and Lou (totally unrelated to the night's dinner menu – just convenient). Add peas (frozen), four medium carrots, a tablespoon of minced ginger, ground cardamom, and ground cloves, and you have quite a happy, snappy base for your pie. Speaking of on-its-way-out produce, we had several pounds of red potatoes, so I just made the entire lot (about 8 pounds), to save the rest for another night, then left the whipping to Lou, who then, immediately after mashing, reached into the refrigerator and poured in a bunch of milk (even though milk was not in the lot of ingredients I handed him for the task), and I saw it immediately: curdled milk. Not sure why it was still in the refrigerator, and we had JUST bought new milk on Saturday. I growled, bitched, snapped, and he felt horrible. He's so cute when he screws up – I had to forgive him. Thankfully, I'd had him pick up five pounds of red potatoes on his way home, so we just made a new batch (I diced the potatoes smaller to cook faster), whipped, butter, garlic, rosemary, cream cheese – and topped the casserole dishes, then stick them into a 400° F oven for 25 minutes. Cooled on a rack, and 15 minutes to awesomeness!

Shepherd's Pie (page 2) Ingredients for Filling: 1.5 lbs Ground beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, or pork (or diced meat) - even lentils work (2 c) 1 c Scallions, finely chopped. Your favorite onion would also work. 1 bunch Green onions, sliced very thinly 1 head Garlic – really, the whole thing. Chop finely 4 med Carrots (no baby carrots – too much water), sliced very thinly, or diced 2 c Peas, fresh or frozen (no need to defrost) Herbs and Spices: Fresh is best, but I would do a 50% increase in quantities if you use dried. If you don't have a couple of these things, or have other preferences, trust your own palate. The measurements for the herbs and spices are a guideline – have fun with them. 2 t Oregano (I grow Italian), chopped finely 1 t Thyme (I grow Caraway Thyme), chopped finely 2 t Rosemary, chopped finely 1 t Tarragon (French), chopped finely 1 T Basil (I buy this – my seeds haven't come up yet), chopped finely 1 t Marjoram (I used Hardy and Gold-Tipped), chopped finely 2 t Cardamom seeds, cracked, or just use ground 1 Bay leaf (removed before serving), use whole 1 T Herbs de Provence, dried 1 t Chili powder 1 t Ginger, powdered or minced 1/2 t Cloves, ground 1 t Paprika 1 T Mustard, Dijon or coarse ground (optional) 1 Roasted sweet bell pepper, diced (optional) Ingredients for the Potatoes: 3-4 lbs Red potatoes, skin on (or whichever potato you like) 1/2 c Butter 4 oz Cream Cheese 4 cloves Garlic, minced and sautéed 2 t Rosemary, dried or freshly chopped 1 Egg, lightly whisked (I use very fresh cage-free eggs) Kosher or Fleur de sel salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 1 c Parmesan or asiago cheese, or your favorite low-moisture cheese. Again, use what you like and what you have on hand. This should be a low-stress meal. 1. Into two tablespoons of oil, toss minced garlic and scallions into a large, preheated skillet (preferably that can go into the oven). Sautee until fragrant, or translucent. Add meat and cook fully. Add carrots and cover, "sweating" the carrots for about five minutes. Add peas and green onions, stirring for about 3 minutes. 2. Toss in the herbs and spices, stirring well and often for another five minutes. Add mustard to taste (or omit). 3. Cube and boil potatoes until easily crushed by tongs or a fork. Drain and add butter, cream cheese, rosemary, garlic, and egg. Mash/whip to the consistently that you prefer. The egg is added to keep the potatoes firm and attached to the pie in the oven. 4. If using an oven-safe pan, give the filling one last toss and top with the potatoes. If using a baking dish, pour filling into the dish, then top with potatoes. Either way, place the dish into a 450 degree oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the potatoes and cheese are golden and crusty. 5. Let cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Trust me on this. Nothing too scary, right? If you can follow the directions on the side of a box of mac and cheese, you can make this.