Recipe of the week: Shepherd’s pie: An American favorite with Old World roots

Pastry-crusted meat pies can be traced back to medieval England—“and probably earlier,” said Lucy Lean in Made in America (Welcome Books). But the history of shepherd’s pie is complicated. Though the first known recipe by that name was published in late-19th-century America, it’s likely that the dish’s signature mashed-potato crust originated in England a century before.

At the Los Angeles restaurant Waterloo & City, chef Brendan Collins makes a shepherd’s pie topped with mashed parsnips and potatoes, mixed with horseradish for “a nice unexpected bite.” He then adorns each pie with “glistening buttered baby vegetables.” Whatever the origins of shepherd’s pie, it has probably “never looked so pretty or tasted so good.”

Recipe of the week

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Shepherd’s pie with buttered baby vegetables

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 leek, white part only, chopped

4 celery stalks, chopped

2 medium carrots, chopped

1¼ pounds ground lamb shoulder

¼ cup all-purpose flour

1 can (14-oz) San Marzano plum tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato puree

1¼ cups lamb or beef stock

1 bay leaf

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

½ tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1½ lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped

½ lb parsnips, peeled and chopped

9 tbsp unsalted butter

¼ cup milk

2 tsp creamed horseradish

¾ cup bread crumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large sauté pan, heat oil over medium heat and add onion, leek, celery, and carrots. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.

Add lamb and brown, about 8 minutes. Add flour to make a roux, and cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add canned tomatoes, tomato puree, beef stock, bay leaf, rosemary, and thyme. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with Worcestershire sauce, plus salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, make topping. Boil potatoes and parsnips in water until soft. Drain and mash with butter and milk. Stir in horseradish, and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon meat mixture into an ovenproof dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle bread crumbs and cheese on top. Bake pie until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Top with buttered vegetables. Serves 4 to 6.

Buttered baby vegetables

Blanch in separate pots until al dente: 6 baby carrots, 6 baby zucchini, 6 cauliflower florets, 3 baby turnips (peeled and quartered), ¼ cup English peas, and 8 tbsp unsalted butter. Drain each vegetable, refresh in ice water, and drain again.

In small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add ½ cup water to make an emulsion. Reheat vegetables in emulsion, add salt and pepper to taste, and drain. Arrange on top of pie.