Instructions
Shepherd’s Pie Filling
Break up the ground beef in a medium mixing bowl. In a small cup combine the baking soda with 2 tablespoons water, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir to dissolve. Pour the baking soda mixture over the ground beef and toss it all to combine. Set the meat aside for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Filling:
In a large skillet (at least 12-inches wide) add the butter and olive oil. Heat over medium until butter is melted and just starting to foam. Add the onion, leek, celery, carrots, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and paprika, if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the celery and carrots start to soften. About 7 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and tomato paste and stir constantly until the mixture darkens and the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.
Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, rosemary and thyme. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits and bring to a boil, still over medium heat.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and spread out the vegetables evenly. Add the beef in small portions on top of the vegetables. Bring the mixture to a simmer, cover and cook until the beef is cooked through, about 12-15 minutes, stirring regularly to break up any large clumps. By the end you want all the meat in a regular small size
Whisk together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water and add it to the beef. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Stir in the peas and remove the skillet from the heat. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. The filling can be made ahead and stored in the fridge till needed. Return to room temperature before assembling.
Potatoes
Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
Using a fork, pierce steam holes evenly over each potato. Rub with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Place the potatoes directly onto a rack set in the centre of the oven. Bake for 50-60 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes. Once a knife slides in right to the middle, they are baked through.
Remove and cool till you can handle them. Slice off the top section, exposed enough of the interior that you can get a spoon in to scoop it all out.
Scoop out the filling, but leave a wall of flesh around the exterior so that the potato will maintain its structure once filled with shepherd’s pie filling and placed in the oven to continue baking. I leave around 1/6 inch but no more than 1/4 inch of ‘wall’.
Place all the scooped out filling into a bowl. Add the butter, milk (start with less), salt, pepper (start with less of the salt and pepper), nutmeg and cheddar cheese. Blend with a fork till rustically smooth (it doesn’t have to be perfect, without lumps! If you need more milk to break up the potatoes, only add 1 tbsp at a time, you don’t want them to become too loose. You want just a little firmer than classic mashed potatoes. The size of your potatoes will determine how much milk and even cheese to add.
Taste and re-season as desired.
