Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated globally–with different names–to give thanks. It is also a harvest festival. Traditionally, turkey is made on Thanksgiving as the main dish, and it is accompanied by other side dishes.
When I came to the States, my son insisted on having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner every year. It turned out that we did not have a liking for turkey, so I researched on alternative dinner ideas. Shepherd's pie seemed appealing, and I replaced the ground beef with goat.
Servings: 8-10
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground goat
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 carrot peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
For Mashed Potatoes:
3 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
In a large skillet, brown the meat and break clumps with a wooden spoon until the meat is brown and crumbly.
Drain the meat's oil on a paper towel and keep it aside.
In the same skillet, heat up oil on a medium heat and sauté onions until they are golden brown.
Add garlic and sauté for a minute.
Return the meat to the skillet and toss to combine. Sprinkle all purpose flour over the meat and gently fold.
Slowly pour in the chicken stock while simultaneously stirring the meat.
Add in the tomato paste and carrots. Then, add in the salt and pepper
cook until the mixture is thick and bubbling about 15 minutes.
For Mashed Potatoes:
In a large pot, add chopped potatoes and fill it with tap water.
Bring the water to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer for about 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, check the potatoes by piercing them with a fork. If the potatoes break when pierced, they are done. Drain the potatoes and keep them side.
To a mixing bowl add butter, milk and potatoes.
Mash with a potato masher and add in salt.
For Assembly:
Preheat oven to 350º F.
In a 9-inch baking dish, spread out the cooked ground meat evenly.
Spoon the mashed potatoes on top and decorate with fork patterns if you'd like.
Bake the pie for about 45 minutes. Let the pie cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
Garnish with cilantro (optional).
Enjoy shepherd's pie with Thanksgiving sides of your choice!
Notes:
You can use ground lamb instead of ground goat.
Be sure to drain the ground meat well; you don't want oily meat!
Comments