The first time I made a Shepherd’s Pie, it was just after my oldest daughter turned one. We hosted a party, had a ton of wonderful Carribean food, and ended up with two bags of Yuca Fries that I ended up stashing in the freezer. Those fries ended up mashed and topped my Shepherd’s Pie. It was delicious. The dense layer was slightly nutty and sweet especially when toasted under the oven heat.
Yuca, or commonly known as cassava, is a fruit that came from South America. Geography time! Mexico is not part of South America, so Yuca never became part of the Mexican diet or cuisine. But by way of the Spanish and Portuguese trade, it did end up making its way to the Philippines, where it ended up becoming a huge industry, its influence reaching beyond Filipino cuisine to biofuel and livestock farming.
This recipe posted here does not use cassava (although I wish it did!). I couldn’t quite find it in my local Filipino supermarket; and Weee! didn’t have it either. I ended up using the tried and true Yukon Gold potatoes, which produces a creamy, airy layer of potatoes and soaks up the juices from the meat. Equally delicious but different… just until I could find that evasive cassava! If you ever spot it in the store, leave a comment, so I know just where to find it. I don’t mind making it over and over again, especially since it was a huge hit in my household, where mashed potatoes are ignored.
The meat layer is inspired by Kristina Cho’s Xi’an Rou Jia Mo recipe from her cookbook, Mooncakes and Milk Bread. I’ve mentioned this before, but her book is one of my favorite cook books. The meat itself is spicy, flavorful and immediately transports you to a street food stall in China. It’s so good that my husband tells me he might even choose the way Chinese cook their lamb over the way Mexicans cook their lamb.
A few tips for making this dish: First, lamb can be really greasy, so I suggest eating it while it’s hot. Second, don’t throw away all the juices that melt out of the meat. Reduce it or strain the meat, but reserve about a half cup of it, so your meat doesn’t end up becoming too dry.
So until I find some Yuca/ Cassava, Happy Valentine’s Day to you and yours!
Xi’an Lamb Shepherd’s Pie
Serves: 6-8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
For the mashed potato layer:
800 grams gold potato, peeled
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
⅓ cup milk
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper, ground
For the meat filling:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 large thumbs of ginger, peeled and sliced
2 lbs ground lamb
3 bay leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp five spice powder
2 tsp Sichuanese peppercorn, ground
¼ cup Shaoxing cooking wine
⅛ cup soy sauce
⅛ cup dark soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp loosely packed brown sugar
1 14 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots
To serve:
Cilantro, chopped
Scallions, chopped
Instructions:
Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and boil potatoes for 20-25 minutes.
While boiling the potatoes, start on the meat filling. Saute ginger in oil until golden and fragrant. Add ground lamb and stir to crumble and cook through.
Allow to simmer and reduce any juice that is released by the lamb OR drain, but reserve ½ cup of the juice for later.
Add cumin, five spice, Sichuanese peppercorns, Shaoxing cooking wine, soy sauce and dark soy sauce.. Add sugar and salt. Stir to combine evenly.
Remove pan from heat source. Discard ginger and bay leaves. Add the frozen peas and carrots and give a quick stir before transferring meat to a deep dish along with reserved juice.
Drain your potatoes and mash using a potato masher. Add butter, milk, garlic powder, salt and white pepper. Stir until well combined.
Using a spatula, layer the potatoes on top of the meat in the deep dish, smoothing out the top.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the pie for 15 minutes, then switch to broil for 5 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Allow to rest for 15 minutes before garnishing with scallions and cilantro. Serve hot.
Inspired by: https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-shepherds-pie/#recipe and Kristina Cho’s Rou Jia Mo recipe in her cookbook, Mooncakes and Milk Bread
Hey It's Jen Lou 