Shepard's Pie in a Twice Baked Potato

To download a cookbook-style copy of the recipe for Shepherd’s Pie in a Twice Baked Potato, click HERE.

Everybody knows twice-baked potatoes, an easy and versatile dish made from a baked potato that has been scooped out, re-stuffed with the potato flesh mixed with cheese, onion, bacon, and/or anything else you like, and baked a second time to a delicious crispness.

Everybody also knows Shepherd’s Pie, a classic meat pie in a mashed potato crust that comes to us from the UK. (It’s worth nothing, though, that similar dishes are served in many countries world over under different names.)

Isn’t it about time they knew each other?

That’s the idea behind this week’s recipe, Instead of putting mashed potatoes back into the potato skins for the second bake, we’ll be using a Shepherd’s Pie filling and, in the usual Shepherd’s Pie way, covering it with mashed potatoes to form a kind of top crust when re-baked. It’s the best of both dishes, joining forces for an easy, hearty meal.

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• Regarding the type of meat to use for Shepherd’s Pie, authoritative sources are divided into two camps. One side claims real Shepherd’s Pie must be made with ground lamb, and that if ground beef is used it is more properly called Cottage Pie. Other well-credentialed sources assure us that Shepherd’s Pie is made with either. In the interest of full disclosure, it’s worth nothing that both camps agree that the modern use of ground turkey (which I used in the photos below), while low-fat, is not truly authentic.

• Like most people, I was taught to bake potatoes by making fork-holes in them first and then baking for about an hour. In the recipe below, the method of baking the potatoes – baking without making fork-holes for the first half-hour, then making fork-holes and baking for the second half-hour – comes to us from the Food Network Kitchens, and results in a very nicely textured potato. I expect this will be my baked potato going forward.

• Here are some helpful tips for scooping the flesh out of the potatoes. Don’t try to do a lot with one scoop. Using a teaspoon, make multiple passes over the potato flesh, scooping out a bit more each time. I also found it helpful to scoop out one end of the half-potato before turning it around and scooping out the other half. Your patience when scooping out the potatoes will be rewarded.

• Although this recipe uses the mashed potatoes to top the Shepherd’s Pie, there will be a good amount left over. Save them. It will be one less thing to cook for dinner the following day.

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Here’s what you’ll need:

For the potatoes: olive oil; 4 large russet potatoes, washed and dried; ¼ cup firm-textured butter substitute; 1/3 cup reduced fat sour cream; 1 green onion, finely chopped; salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the filling: olive oil for sauté; 3 medium carrots, finely diced; 1 large onion, finely diced; 1 – 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 lb ground lamb, beef or turkey; 2 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped; ½ tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped; 1 Tbsp firm-textured butter substitute; 1 cup frozen peas; 2 Tbsp corn starch; 2 Tbsp tomato paste; 5 ounces red wine; 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock; salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste; grated parmesan cheese

For the garnish: rosemary sprigs or similar

First, let’s get the potatoes baking.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Lightly rub each potato all over with olive oil. (Be careful not to overdo it. We're just looking to apply a little oil to give the potato skin an extra nice crisp when baked.)

Without yet piercing the potatoes, place them directly on the rack in the center of the oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Pierce each potato several times with a fork and continue to bake until tender, about another 30 minutes.

While the potatoes are baking, prepare the filling.

Prepare and set aside the chopped and diced ingredients: carrots, onions, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and green onion. Measure out the peas.

Heat some olive oil is a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the carrots and cook until just a little tender, about 3-4 minutes.

Add in the onions and sauté for a minute, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 30 seconds to one minute.

Add the meat, thyme and rosemary. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is browned.

If there is fat left in the pan (depending on the amount of fat in the meat you’re using), drain it. Add the butter substitute and the peas.

Make a slurry by mixing the corn starch with ¼ cup of water, and stir the slurry into the pan.

Stir in the tomato paste, wine and Worcestershire sauce.

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid thickens.

Add the chicken stock, and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened. Adjust seasoning as necessary. When done, set aside until the potatoes have finished baking.

When the potatoes have finished baking:

Carefully trim a wedge from the length of each potato. Set the wedges aside in a bowl.

Using a spoon, carefully remove most of the potato flesh from each potato and place it in the bowl with the wedges.

Be sure to leave enough potato flesh so the skins stay together.

Mash the potatoes in the bowl. Add the butter substitute and sour cream. Stir in the chopped green onion, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To prepare the potatoes:

Fill each potato skin with filling.

Top each with some mashed potatoes, pinching the potatoes as you go to form nice peaks; the more peaks, the better the potato topping will brown.

Sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the topping has some browning. Plate with garnish and you're ready to serve.

To download a cookbook-style copy of the recipe for Shepherd’s Pie in a Twice Baked Potato, click HERE.

Serve with some of the wine we used in the cooking, and you’re all set!

Please visit again next week for another tasty, kitchen-tested recipe, and a special announcement. Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)

Sausage and Pepper Fried Rice

To download a cookbook style copy of the recipe for Sausage and Pepper Fried Rice, click HERE. 

By now, nearly everyone is familiar with Fried Rice. Although normally served as an Asian dish, fried rice is made in various forms in many countries and cultures. (I have even seen published reports of a Thai version called “American Fried Rice,” in which the rice is combined with – I swear I’m not making this up – hot dogs, fried chicken, and ketchup. Is that really what the rest of the world thinks American food is?)

The popularity of fried rice is easy to understand; it tastes great, is easy to prepare, can be used as either a main dish or a side dish, and is an ideal use for many kinds of leftovers. This week’s recipe – Sausage and Pepper Fried Rice – is a little unusual without overdoing it.

Some Cook’s Notes before we begin:

• Although I’ve prepared this recipe using a skillet, the normal (and usually better) way to prepare fried rice is to use a wok. Many readers may not have a wok, however, and so a skillet became the cookware of choice.

• One of the keys to giving your fried rise the right texture is to use cooked rice at room temperature. The moisture in just-cooked rice will tend to make the rice steam instead of fry.

• To use ingredients most readers will have readily available, I prepared brown rice, and cooked it with chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor.

• The frying oil should be one with a high smoke point. (I used grapeseed oil.)

This recipe makes 2 to 3 main dish portions, or 4 side dish portions

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

4 cups cooked rice, room temperature; oil for pan-frying; 3 egg substitute eggs; 1 Tbsp water; 3/4 cup chopped green onions; 3/4 cup red bell pepper, very fine diced; 3/4 cup green bell pepper, very fine diced; ¾ cup corn kernels (frozen is ok); 10 ounces turkey sausage meat; 2 Tbsp soy sauce; and carrot ribbons for garnish.

To prepare the scrambled eggs:

Heat a little oil in a large pan over low heat, enough to scramble the eggs. Thoroughly mix the egg substitute eggs and the water, and pour into the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

While the eggs are cooking, chop the green onions, and fine-dice the red bell pepper and green bell pepper.

Cook the eggs until done but not dry, then transfer the eggs to a separate dish and set aside.

To cook the vegetables and sausage:

Remove the sausage meat from the casings.

Scrape the egg pan with a wooden spoon. Add a little more oil, increase the heat to medium-high and put the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, and the sausage meat in. Cook until done. Season to taste. Transfer to s a separate dish and set aside.

To fry the rice and finish the dish:

Add a little more oil to the pan as needed and increase the heat to high. Add the rice and stir fry for a few minutes, adding the soy sauce part way.

Add the eggs and vegetables, mix thoroughly, and heat through.

Remove from the heat and stir in the scallions.

Garnish with carrot ribbons and serve hot.

To download a cookbook style copy of the recipe for Sausage and Pepper Fried Rice, click HERE. 

Serve with pineapple chunks with toothpicks, and a fortune cookie, and you’re all set!

Please visit again next week for another easy to make, delicious to eat recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to 亲吻厨师.

Chicken Sauce with Linguini

To download a copy of the recipe for Chicken Sauce with Linguini, click HERE.

Just to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with the classic idea of topping linguini with a well-made clam sauce. It’s just that a “classic” – whether a book, movie, song, or food – is something that, because it’s so good, has been around for a long time and is familiar and comfortable to almost everyone. I like the idea of making something good; I just want to make it in a way that’s not so familiar.

And that’s where Chicken Sauce with Linguini comes in. Rather than serving some chicken on top of a plate of pasta, this is an actual chicken-based sauce, prepared in the style of a classic clam sauce, served with linguini in much the way clam sauce usually is. The chicken sauce even looks a lot like clam sauce, due largely to the fact that chicken that’s been cut up very small bears a striking resemblance to clams that have been cut up very small. But make no mistake; the taste and aroma are distinctly chicken, and are an ideal complement to the pasta.

Since the amount of chicken used is quite small, about 4 ounces, this is an ideal way to make use of a bit of leftover cooked chicken that’s too small to be a meal by itself. If you don’t have any leftover chicken you can, of course, cook a small amount up fresh. And if you don’t feel like cooking such a small amount of chicken, using a 6.5 ounce can of canned chicken breast also works well.

This recipe makes four servings.

Finely chop four ounces of cooked chicken and set aside.

Warm 3 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds – 1 minute.

Add ¼ cup of dry white wine (chardonnay or similar) to the skillet and cook for a few minutes till reduced to about half.

Add the chicken, ½ cup of chicken broth, 1 Tbsp dried parsley, ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper, and 1 Tbsp bread crumbs to the skillet. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer for 15 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking in the skillet, drop 1 pound of uncooked linguini into a pot of salted boiling water. Cook the linguini one minute less than recommended on the package.

Drain the linguini, reserving ½ cup of the starchy pasta water. Add the linguini to the skillet and mix to combine.

Add some of the pasta water and 3 Tbsp of butter substitute. Mix until the linguini is combined with the sauce. Cook till the pasta is done.

Top with fresh grated parmesan to serve.

To download a copy of the recipe for Chicken Sauce with Linguini, click HERE.

So if you’re looking for something different for dinner, give Chicken Sauce with Linguini a try. Fresh food doesn’t get much easier than this!

Be sure to visit again next week for another home-cooking recipe! Till then, stay well, keep it about the food, and always remember to kiss the cook. ;-)