I never even knew what a Shepard’s Pie was until I lived in London in 1990 and came across it while perusing the menu at one of London’s many great pubs. I remember asking the waiter what it was and he just looked at me with a blank stare, it was almost as if I had asked him what a sandwich was. I had no idea it was a childhood favorite of just about every Brit in existence. As I have always done, I embraced the idea of something new and ordered it. Needless to say, I immediately fell in love with everything about it. The mix of the potatoes, the meat, and the vegetables was perfect and each bite was better than the last.
Fast forward 22 years and as good as it was, I haven’t had Shepard’s Pie in quite a long time as it doesn’t really fit into the way I eat — until now. This version of the recipe from Simone of Zenbelly has done wonders at taking this English classic and turning into something that I could really sink my teeth into. The mashed cauliflower in place of the potatoes sounds awesome, the minced vegetables sounds like just the right technique to make this make any Brit proud.
If you like this or any other recipes from Zenbelly, you should check out her Kickstarter project where she’s looking for support in opening a shared gluten-free kitchen in San Francisco. It sounds like a great idea which I think could spread.
…After the many hours it took to prepare, style, shoot, cook and clean up, I saw this video from the one and only Gordon Ramsey. Face palm. It’s all in the mince??? I’m doing it all wrong! And come to think of it, he’s probably right. Grated vegetables, in place of diced, would integrate so nicely into the ground lamb and make the whole dish more cohesive. I have always made Shepherd’s Pie the way my mom did, by dicing the vegetables by hand, resulting in vegetables you can bite into. This recipe reflects that version, but feel free to Paleo-ize the Gordon Ramsey method!…
