Lazy Day Sheppard's Pie
Sheppard's Pie is not something I grew up with. My first experience was at a summer camp when I was a teenager. When we went into the mess hall and word got around that the meal was Sheppard's Pie, there was a collective moan. Not from me. I had never had it, and then, like now, I liked trying new foods. I didn't always eat it, but I liked trying. I more than liked trying Sheppard's Pie. I thought it was the best meal served at camp that year, and in subsequent years I was very happy to discover that it was still on the menu.
My summer camp Sheppard's Pie was made with ground beef and had a tomato sauce base. I still make and enjoy that type of Sheppard's Pie. But, mostly now when I get a craving for Sheppard's Pie I want it made with a roast of beef, and I want brown gravy. Why do I call it Lazy Day Sheppard's Pie? Because I usually start cooking it early in the morning, and I cook it slowly all day. Not too much work, and great when I'm having a lazy day at home. Since Covid-19 has pretty much confined us to our house, all my days are lazy days, so of course I made Sheppard's Pie.
Start with a frozen roast of beef. It can be the cheapest cut you can find, because you are going to cook it all day and even a rubber boot would be tender after all that cooking. You can substitute frozen stewing beef, or frozen moose meat. In a pinch you could use fresh beef or moose, but you will have to adjust your cooking time.
The second step is to generously salt and pepper your roaster. Yes you read that correctly. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the bottom of your roaster. As the juices cook out of the frozen roast you want to season them, and the salt and pepper in the bottom of the roaster does that. Your roaster should be a medium sized enamel roaster like I have in the photo below, or a large cast iron Dutch oven.
Place your frozen roast in the roaster, and sprinkle salt and pepper over it as well. Put the cover on the roaster, put the roaster in the oven, and leave it for 3-4 hours.
When you check the meat in 3-4 hours, it should be thawed and browning nicely, and there should be lots of water in the bottom of the roaster. If the roaster looks dry, add some water or beef broth. Also add a coarsely chopped onion and two cloves of grated garlic. Put the roaster back in the oven.
The next step is to chop and cook some vegetables. Use your favourites. I generally go with carrot, turnip and corn. I would choose peas, but my husband doesn't like them. Cook vegetables like carrot and turnip on the top of the stove in lightly salted boiling water. Canned or frozen mixed vegetables such as peas, green beans or corn can added directly from the can or bag.
While the other vegetables are cooking you also need to make some mashed potatoes. Make these to your own taste, but chunky is better than creamy because you want space in your potato topping to allow the gravy to cook up through. I generally boil about 8-10 potatoes in salted water, coarsely mash them, and add a little butter.
When your vegetables are cooked and the potatoes mashed, it's time to make the gravy. In a shaker add 1/2 cup of flour and 1 cup of water. Shake well to insure that the flour is completely mixed with the water and there are no lumps of flour.
Take your roaster from the oven and either shred the beef with a fork in the roaster, or take it out and cut it into bite size pieces. Check your amount of drippings in your roaster. You need at least an inch of liquid a medium enamel roaster or two inches of liquid in a Dutch oven. If you don't have that, add some beef broth and bring the liquid to a slow boil on the top of your stove. If you didn't have to add liquid, as long as you are quick preparing your gravy mix, you won't need to heat on top of the stove. The key is, all the liquid has to be hot - almost boiling - when you add the thickening or you may end up with lumps.
If you took the beef out of the roaster, leave it out when you make your gravy. If you shredded it in the roaster, leave it in there. Lazy days! While stirring with a whisk or large spoon, slowly pour the gravy thickening into the drippings. When the thickening has all been added, it the gravy looks too thin, make some more thickening with flour and water (half amounts) and add that. If your gravy looks too thick, add some broth. It's not rocket science, and it is a lazy day.
At this point you should also taste your gravy and add salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some thyme if that is to your liking. Not too much. Just a teaspoon or so.
After the gravy is made, put the beef back in the roaster if you had previously removed it, and add all the vegetables except potatoes. Stir so that the vegetables are all covered in gravy and the beef is mixed throughout. Then carefully spoon your mashed potatoes over the top. Don't stir. If you don't have enough potato to completely cover the entire meat and vegetable mixture, make more next time! But no matter, it still works.
Put the Sheppard's Pie back in the oven. Check the clock. How long before you want to eat? If you want to eat in an hour, turn the oven up to 300F. If you still have several hours, leave it on 175F, but a half an hour before you want to eat turn it up to 300F.
If you want to brown the tops of your potatoes a little, 10 minutes before you want to eat, remove the cover and turn the oven to broil. But watch carefully. You don't want to ruin your lazy day by burning your Sheppard's Pie at the last minute!
Lazy Day Sheppard's Pie Recipe
Ingredients
1 frozen beef roast, 1-2 lbs
Salt
Pepper
1 onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves grated or chopped garlic
Beef broth (up to 2 cups)
Cooked vegetables such as carrot, turnip, peas, corn, green beans
8-10 potatoes, cooked and mashed
Salt for potato water
Butter for mashed potatoes if desired
1/2 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tsp thyme (optional)
Directions
Season frozen beef with salt and pepper and slowly cook the beef in a medium enamel roaster or
large cast iron Dutch oven at 175F. After beef is thawed add onion and garlic. If pan juices do not partially cover the beef add water or beef broth. Cook the vegetables you plan to add, and make mashed potatoes.
When the beef is tender (3-4 hours) remove from the oven and either shred with a fork or cut into bite sized pieces.
If you do not have an inch of liquid in an enamel roaster or two inches of liquid in a Dutch oven, add beef broth to required level.
Mix the flour and water in a shaker. Be sure that it is mixed so that there are no flour lumps.
If you added liquid to your roaster, bring the liquid to a boil on the top of your stove. If you didn't add liquid, you have to insure that the liquid you have is near a boiling temperature. If it isn't, warm it. While stirring with a whisk or spoon slowly add the flour and water mixture to your pan drippings. If the resulting gravy is too thin, make and add more flour and water (thickening). If it is too thick, add some broth.
Taste the gravy and add salt or pepper to taste. Add thyme if desired.
If you removed the beef while you were making the gravy, put it back in the roaster. Add all the vegetables except the potatoes. Stir well to coat the vegetables with gravy. Carefully spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat and vegetables. Return the covered roaster to the oven.
If you want to eat in an hour, increase oven heat to 300F. Otherwise, leave at 175F until 30 minutes before serving, when you will increase heat to 300F. If you want to brown the tops of the potatoes, 10 minutes before serving remove the cover and turn the oven to broil. At this stage watch the potato top carefully to be sure it doesn't burn.
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