Mom got some ground lamb and planned on making regular old Shepherd's Pie, but wasn't happy with the recipe she has. I happened to notice this little Greek twist on the dish linked to on my Yahoo homepage and mentioned it. She thought it sounded good so we decided to try it out. Good choice! I love the eggplant in this, by the way.
Notes
- I used ground lamb even though the recipe calls for lamb shoulder cut into chunks. I think I would use the shoulder next time though, because the recipe has you brown the pan while you're sauteing it making a nice delicious gravy base for the sauce. It's not so easy to brown ground lamb, not to mention the excess fat that ground lamb leaves behind.
- Instead of kasseri cheese we got a chunk of provolone and grated it. And don't get the sliced cheese! Provolone slices are completely different than the chunk!
- Be sure to give yourself a good few hours prep time because it takes just about the whole afternoon to get this dish ready.
I personally thought this was pretty delicious. The potato topping was great! I think I might use the topping recipe for mashed potatoes next time I make them. And the gravy sauce had a really nice, complimentary flavor. Mr. C appears not to be a fan of lamb, so although he thought it was good he wasn't the biggest fan. Finally, Mom thought it was good. and had some for lunch at work the next day.
I found the recipe on Epicurious in their Bon Apetit section, submitted by Jeanne Thiel Kelley:
Ingredients
- 1 1 1/2-pound eggplant, cut into 3/4-to 1-inch cubes
- coarse kosher salt
- 7 Tbsp (or more) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 lbs well-trimmed boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
- all purpose flour
- 3 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
- 3 cups beef broth (preferably organic)
- 8 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 Tbsp dried oregano
- 2 1/2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 1/4 cups (packed) coarsely grated kasseri cheese (5 to 6 ounces)
Directions
- Filling: Scatter eggplant on rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with coarse salt; let stand 1 hour, tossing occasionally. Rinse eggplant and pat very dry.
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl.
- Sprinkle lamb generously with coarse salt and pepper, then dust with flour to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in same pot over medium-high heat. Add half of lamb. Sauté until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer lamb to large bowl. Repeat with 2 tablespoons oil and remaining lamb. Transfer second batch of lamb to the large bowl.
- Add 1 additional tablespoon oil to same pot, if needed. Add onions. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until very tender, about 10 minutes (bottom of pot will be very dark). Add wine to pot. Increase heat and boil until wine evaporates, scraping up browned bits, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice, broth, garlic, and oregano and bring to boil. Add lamb with any accumulated juices. Cover; reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour. Uncover and continue to simmer until lamb is very tender and gravy thickens slightly, about 45 minutes. Stir in eggplant. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool slightly. Cover and chill.
- Topping: Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook potatoes in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 14 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt butter with oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add milk and bring to simmer.
- Drain potatoes. Return to pot. Stir over medium heat until excess moisture evaporates. Add milk mixture and mash potatoes until just smooth. Stir in cheese. Season with coarse salt and pepper. Drop potatoes over filling by heaping tablespoonfuls, covering completely.
- Bake pie until filling is heated through and topping is golden, about 45 minutes.
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