LAMB AND EGGPLANT SHEPHERD S PIE Serves 8 to 10. By Dennis W. Viau; modified from a Bon Appétit recipe. My mother made shepherd s pie occasionally and I remember it as layered with meat at the bottom, corn or peas in the middle, and mashed potatoes on top. The Bon Appétit recipe mixed the eggplant with the meat. I chose to slice and sauté the eggplant and add it as its own layer. Ingredients: For the Filling: 1 eggplant (1½ pounds/680g); unpeeled and cut into 3/8-inch (1cm) slices Salt About ½ cup (150g) all-purpose flour, more as needed 2 large eggs ½ cup (120ml) pure (cooking) olive oil; divided, more as needed 2 pounds (900g) trimmed lamb; cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) cubes All-purpose flour for dusting 3 cups (12 ounces/340g) chopped onion ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine 1 28-ounce (793g) can chopped or crushed tomatoes in juice or purée 3 cups (710ml) beef broth or stock (see Note at end) 8 garlic cloves; chopped ½ teaspoon dried oregano flakes For the Topping: 2½ pounds (1.1kg) russet potatoes; peeled, cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) cubes 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon garlic powder ¾ cup whole milk 1 cup (3 ounces/85g) Romano cheese Directions: To start the filling: Slice the eggplant and salt generously. Arrange in a large bowl or glass baking dish. Cover and let stand 1 hour. Then rinse well in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Heat a few tablespoons of pure (not extra virgin) olive oil in a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Dip slices of eggplant in beaten egg and flour, then fry in oil until golden on both sides. Reduce heat if oil starts to smoke. Transfer cooked eggplant to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside. Season the lamb pieces with salt and pepper and then dust with 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour, coating evenly. Heat a few tablespoons of pure olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and sauté until lightly browned, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl with any gravy that forms, cover, and set aside. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons additional oil to the pot and sauté the onions over medium-low heat, covered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and increase the heat. Deglaze the pan and reduce until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the tomatoes with their juice or purée, stock, garlic, and oregano. Add the lamb and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour. 1 20130324
2 Remove the cover, increase the heat, and simmer to reduce the liquid to a gravy, stirring often to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pot, about 45 minutes. To start the topping: Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Return to the heat and steam off any excess moisture, stirring often. Rice or mash the potatoes, transferring to a large bowl. Add the butter, extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder, milk, and cheese. Mix well. (I whipped the mixture using a whisk in a stand mixer.) Heat the oven to 375 F (190 C). Spoon the lamb mixture into the bottom of a large casserole or baking dish. Arrange slices of cooked eggplant on top. Cover completely with mashed potatoes, etching a design into the top with a large fork. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden brown and the pie is heated through. Serve hot. 1 STEP-BY-STEP Slice the eggplant, sprinkle with salt, and arrange in a large baking dish or bowl. Set aside for 1 hour. 2 I almost always have lamb in my freezer because I buy the boneless leg at the warehouse store and cut it into pieces to use when I make something requiring lamb. It comes tied with an elastic net, which can be removed and discarded. I usually trim off most of the fat, inside and out.
3 3 I set aside the 2 pounds (907g) of lamb I needed for this recipe. Then I wrapped the other pieces, labeled them with their weight, and put them in a dated ziplock bag. Freeze for future use. 4 Meanwhile, my eggplant has sat for an hour. Rinse really well to remove as much of the salt as possible, then pat dry with paper towels and set aside for frying.
5 4 This is my frying setup. Beaten egg in one dish (I used two eggs total for this eggplant), flour in another dish, and a griddle heating on the stove. You can use a skillet. The griddle gives me more room and I therefore finish the frying quickly. 6 Here is my eggplant, browning on the griddle.
7 5 Cut the lamb into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces and season with salt and pepper. 8 Then dust the lamb pieces with all-purpose flour, turning to coat the pieces evenly.
9 6 Heat cooking oil in a large pot and sauté the lamb until lightly browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. 10 Add the chopped onions to the pot, cover, and cook until very tender, about 10 minutes over low heat.
11 7 Add the wine to the pot and deglaze the pan by scraping up the fond, the brown bits at the bottom, with a wooden spatula or spoon. 12 Simmer the wine and onions until most of the liquid has evaporated.
13 8 Add the tomatoes with their juice or purée, the beef broth, chopped garlic, and oregano. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 1 hour. 14 Remove the lid, increase the heat, and simmer the liquid, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced and thickened to a gravy texture. This could take as long as 45 minutes. Mine was done in less time.
15 9 Cut and boil the potatoes in salted water until tender when pierced with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. 16 Drain the potatoes and return to the pan. Stir over medium heat to remove the excess moisture.
17 10 Mash the potatoes. I use a potato ricer for perfectly smooth mashed potatoes. Do not work the cooked potatoes too much or they will develop a gummy texture. 18 Finally, add the butter, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, milk, and cheese. Romano cheese is typically salty; so I added no salt. Taste for salt and adjust to your liking.
19 11 Spoon the lamb mixture into a large bowl or casserole (I used two smaller ones, planning to give one to a friend) and arrange slices of cooked eggplant over the top. 20 Spread mashed potatoes over the eggplant and decorate the top with a pattern using a large fork or other utensil. 21 Bake until the top is golden brown and the pie is heated through. Some of the sauce might bubble up around the edges, but that s part of the beauty. If necessary, the top can be browned further by placing the dish under a broiler. Watch closely.
22 12 Serve hot. Conclusion My mother, who was only an adequate cook, occasionally made shepherd s pie. It was a food I never planned to make for myself, until I discovered some intriguing recipes made with lamb. I really enjoy the flavor of lamb. This pie was delicious. The origin of this variant is supposedly Greek, or at least Greek inspired. Whatever the origin, it was delicious to eat. Note I almost always have chicken and/or turkey stock in my freezer, but rarely beef stock. I make a cheater stock when beef broth is needed, by dissolving a little beef bouillon in heated chicken/turkey stock. It works well.