I would request it for my birthday dinners, when a celebration was in order, or when I just craved Mom’s home cooking. 

The fresh herbs in this classic comfort food recipe make it sing…Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme; Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine. 

Mom called her version *Chinese Pie which was slightly different than this Shepherd’s Pie recipe (creamed corn in place of carrot, onion, zucchini, peas), but had all the comfort that only a casserole (or maybe a fresh from the oven chocolate chip cookie) can bring.

Another similar dish to the Irish Shepherd’s Pie is Cottage Pie, one made with lamb and one with beef, although the variations are many.

The Method

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• In a large skillet sauté mushrooms until golden brown on both sides and reserve
• Meanwhile boil potatoes until tender, drain, and mash with butter, buttermilk, sage, salt & pepper
• If using fresh English peas simmer those as well

• Brown the meat and drain fat
• Add garlic, tomato paste, fresh herbs and Worcestershire, stir to combine
• Add wine and allow to mostly cook off before dusting with flour (or arrowroot for gluten free)
• Stir in broth and simmer until sauce begins to thicken
• Return sautéed mushrooms to pan to combine
• Season with salt and pepper to taste

• Pour browned meat and mushrooms into 2 quart buttered casserole dish. Reserve.

• Top meat/mushroom layer with sautéed vegetables. Reserve.

• Spread mashed potatoes over veggie layer
• Make a criss-cross pattern with a fork
• Dot with butter pieces 
• Bake until edges start to become golden brown 40 – 45 minutes  
• Finish under broiler for nice brown peaks
• Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving

This Shepherd’s Pie is rich and hearty and just as comfortable as I remember. Hope you love it like we do!

*I just had to know where the name Chinese Pie came from so I did a little culinary digging. Apparently Chinese Pie, also known as Paté Chinois, originated in Canada and is a staple French-Canadian dish. During the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in the late 19th century workers were fed rations of beef, potatoes and corn. Many of the workers of primarily Asian origin would combine their rations, creating a family-style dish to be shared. This serving style took off with the French-Canadian workers as well who dubbed the dish Paté Chinois (or Chinese Pie in French). And now you know ~ the rest of the story.

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All my best,
xo Libby

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Shepherd’s Pie

This Shepherd's Pie is rich and hearty and just as comfortable as I remember. The fresh herbs in this classic comfort food recipe make it sing.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Meat & Mushroom Layer

• 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 Tablespoon butter & olive oil
• 2 lbs. ground beef and/or ground lamb
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage) minced
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 Tablespoon flour or arrow root (for GF Version)
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the Vegetable Layer

• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced, about 1 cup
• 2-3 carrots diced, about 1 cup
• 2 small zucchini julienned, about 1 cup
• 1 cup fresh or frozen English peas

For the Potato Layer

• 3 lbs. potatoes or cauliflower for a low-carb alternative
• 5 Tbl. butter divided
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp. fresh sage minced optional
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Meat & Mushroom Layer

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter & 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add mushrooms in single layer and cook until golden brown on both sides. Remove from skillet and reserve.
• Brown meat over medium high heat, drain fat, then add tomato paste, garlic, fresh herbs, and Worcestershire. Stir to combine and cook 1-2 minutes. Stir in wine and allow to mostly cook off before dusting with flour (arrowroot for gluten free version). Stir to incorporate, then add broth and stir until sauce begins to thicken. Return browned mushrooms to the pan. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Pour meat/mushrooms into 2 quart buttered casserole dish.

For the Vegetable Layer

• In skillet saute onion & carrot until just tender, then add zucchini continue cooking for 3-4 minutes. Stir in frozen peas (or cooked fresh peas). Season with salt & pepper to taste. Pour veggies over browned meat/musrooms in casserole dish.

For the Potato Layer

• Boil potatoes until tender, drain, then add 4 Tablespoons butter, buttermilk, 1/2 tsp. fresh sage, salt & pepper and mash. Spoon potatoes on top of meat/vegetable layers.
• Take a fork and scratch a pattern into top of mashed potatoes. Dot with remaining Tablespoon butter. Bake until golden 40 – 45 minutes. Finish under broiler for nice brown peaks. Let stand for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

If you’re looking for a low-carb option, use cauliflower mash instead of mashed potatoes.

The post Shepherd’s Pie – A Classic Comfort Food appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Lamb Gyro with Tzatziki Sauce.  One of my most favorite dishes to order from a Greek restaurant.  There’s something so distinctive and special about the flavors of the heavenly sliced meat topped with the cool Tzatziki Sauce.  If you love Gyros like I do then you know exactly what I’m talking about.  This recipe brings all that together.

Notice the Flax, Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Breads in the basket above…THEY gave me all the motivation I needed to finally make this classic dish at home.  They’re only 60 calories, high in fiber, big on taste and begging to wrap their arms around something as lovely as ground lamb seasoned just so.

To prepare the Gyro meat, ground lamb is combined with fresh oregano, salt & pepper then chilled for at least an hour (or up to overnight).  The chilled meat is then combined with and diced bacon, chopped onion, and garlic in the food processor.  It’s quite a process, one that I will never doubt again after tasting the end result.  No need to change a single thing.

Once the meat is ground fine it’s shaped into a loaf that’s about 1 1/2″ high, 8″ long, and 5″ wide.  Then onto a foil lined baking sheet and baked at 300 degrees for 35 – 40 minutes or until an internal temperature of 155 degrees is reached.  The loaf is then cooled to room temperature for about 15 minutes before being thinly sliced for a final broil.  This last step is what gives the meat it’s signature crispy edges and unctuous sizzle.

To serve, warm the pita bread under the broiler until soft and pliable.  Spread Tzatziki Sauce on the center of the pita, then layer sliced tomato, lettuce leaves, thinly sliced red onion, gyro meat, and another dollop of sauce.  You can also add an optional sprinkling of crumbled feta cheese.  Trust me when I say, you’ll know this Lamb Gyro recipe is spot on when the aromas from your oven send you right back to the last time you enjoyed this wonderful sandwich.

I’m so thankful to have found this recipe at Serious Eats, slightly adapted.

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Lamb Gyro

Course Sandwich

Prep Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author J. Kenjo Lopez-Alt via Serious Eats

Ingredients

For the meat…

• 1 lb. ground lamb or 85% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly cracked pepper
• 2 Tbl. fresh oregano leaves minced (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
• 1/2 onion diced (about 1 cup)
• 2-3 garlic cloves sliced
• 3 slices bacon diced

To serve…

• 4 pita breads hand-pulled, not pocket type
• sliced tomatoes
• loose lettuce leaves
• thinly sliced red onion
• Tzatziki Sauce see recipe link in post
• crumbled feta cheese optional

Instructions

For the meat…

• Combine the lamb, salt, pepper, and oregano in a medium bowl. Mix with hands until well blended then cover and refrigerate at minimum one hour or up to over night.
• Process onion in a food processor to get a fine chop, about 10 – 15 seconds. Then turn out onto a tea towel and wring out onion liquid. Reserve.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line a shallow rimmed baking sheet with foil and reserve.
• Place cold lamb mixture in the bowl of a food processor, with onion, garlic, and bacon. Process until a fine paste-like mixture is formed, scrapping down edges as you go, about 1 minute total.
• Form mixture into a loaf about 1 1/2″ high, 8″ long, and 5″ wide on the foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes until internal temperature reaches 155 degrees. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
• Adjust oven rack to highest broiler position and preheat the broiler. Slice loaf crosswise into 1/8th to 1/4-inch thick slices. Lay slices on foil lined baking sheet and broil until edges are brown and crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and tent with foil. Warm bread under broiler, turning after 45 seconds per side.
• To serve…
• Spread Tzatziki Sauce on the center of each pita. Layer with sliced tomato, lettuce leaves, red onion, and gyro meat slices. Top with another dollop of sauce.

Tzatziki Sauce

The post Lamb Gyro {with Tzatziki Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Moussaka.  The best Moussaka I’ve ever had was in ‘a diner.’  The kind of diner you find in CT or NY, that are open all night, where you can order fried eggs, t-bone steaks, pancakes, cocktails, Moussaka (or hundreds of other dishes)…any time of day.  Every time I visit my sister we have at least one meal at a diner, doesn’t matter which one because they’re all good, and most often I order Moussaka.

The easiest way for me to explain this dish is to refer to it as Greek Eggplant & Lamb Lasagna with a really rich cream sauce on top.  The truth is it’s nothing like Italian Lasagna except that it has layers.  Let’s talk about the layers, as they are what make this dish so rich and heavenly.  They are also what make it a bit time consuming to make (but oh soooo worth it).

Layer#1 ~ Potatoes & Eggplant

Like any ‘classic’ dish, the Moussaka recipe variations are endless beginning with whether or not to add potatoes and whether to peel the eggplant.  I love the potato layer, it creates the bottom ‘crust’ if you will.  And for the eggplant, peel it or not, your call, but I’m breading mine like I do for Eggplant Parmesan.  I mean really, we’re going to top this whole dish with an inch of bechamel sauce, we’re not tracking calories.  I prepare Layer #1 ingredients first, and sometimes the day before.

Layer #2 ~ Lamb Meat Sauce

Recipes I’ve read say you can use ground lamb or ground beef.  To me, the lamb is a key ingredient, but I’m sure it would be lovely with ground beef as well.  Having said that, the seasonings are another of the many unique features of Moussaka.  Cinnamon, allspice, and oregano combine with onion, garlic, tomato paste, and red wine in this lovely meat sauce.  This too can be made the day before as a time saving step.

Layer #3 ~ Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel Sauce, egg yolks and all, turns a great dish into a ‘classic’ masterpiece.  Ladled generously over the top of this layered dish, the bechamel sauce creates an almost souffle-like finish.  Incredible.  This step however needs to be done in real time just before assembling the dish for baking.

Before deciding whether or not I would even tackle a ‘Moussaka Post’ I ready many recipes.  I chose to follow this one from Simply Recipes because her step by step instructions are always so helpful and it sounds delicious.  I made just a few changes AND cut the recipe in half.  The original recipe serves 8.  The recipe below will make 4 generous servings.

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Moussaka {Greek Eggplant & Lamb}

Course Entree

Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 4

Author Simply Recipes, lightly adapted

Ingredients

For Layer #1 ~ Eggplant & Potatoes

• 1 lg. eggplant
• 1 Tbl. salt
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 2 yukon potatoes
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated

For Layer #2 ~ Meat Sauce

• 1 lb. ground lamb or beef
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbl. tomato paste
• 1/4 cup red wine
• salt to taste

For Layer #3 ~ Bechamel Sauce

• 4 Tbl. butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. salt or more to taste

Instructions

For Layer #1 ~ Eggplant & Potatoes

• Cut eggplant into 1/4-inch thick slices, place in single layer in colander, sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for 30 minutes (during this time prepare the meat sauce). Rinse off salt then press slices between paper towels, removing as much excess moisture as possible. Dip each slice in beaten egg and then breadcrumbs. Pan fry slices in olive oil until browned on each side. Reserve.
• Boil potatoes until just fork tender. Allow to cool. Remove skins, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Reserve.
• Grate Parmesan cheese and reserve.

For Layer #2 ~ Meat Sauce

• In a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until translucent, add in garlic and saute another minute. Add in lamb and seasonings and cook until meat is cooked through. Add in tomato paste and wine, cook for an additional 5 minutes. Reserve.

For Layer #3 ~ Bechamel Sauce

• In a medium heavy bottom sauce pan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Once completely melted whisk in flour until well blended. Slowly pour in milk, whisking continuously as the sauce will become very thick until all milk is incorporated. Increase the temperature to medium and add in the salt and nutmeg.
• To temper the egg yolks so they won’t scramble when added to the hot sauce, beat egg yolks in a separate bowl and add a ladle of sauce to the yolks WHILE whisking. Once combined pour egg mixture back into sauce and whisk well. Reduce the heat to the lowest temperature, do not allow to boil.

To assemble the Moussaka…

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat an 11×7 or 9×9 pan with cooking spray.
• Line the bottom of the pan with a single layer of potato slices, overlapping slightly. Top with a layer of eggplant slices, then add the meat sauce, top that with any additional eggplant slices. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan cheese. Ladle the bechamel sauce generously on top, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.
• Bake for 35 – 45 minutes until top is golden brown. Allow to rest at least 10 mnutes before serving.

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