[Recipe] Kid-Friendly Shepherd's Pie
Jan. 13th, 2005 09:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
elfsKouryou-chan is notoriously a sweet, not a savory. She doesn't like things that don't have a taste of sweetness in them, even when it would be weird. This puts us into conflict for I am most definitely a savory; I was the kid who didn't like cookies and while my sister gorged on them I would be downing every salty thing I could find. Pretzels were okay, but I *really* liked celery with cream cheese and extra salt.
Tonight, I made shepherd's pie. Mostly to get rid of the potatoes in the larder that were going a bit soft and growing eyes, as well as the green bell pepper before it, too, started to go soft. But the question was, how to get Kouryou-chan to eat it?
The recipe is in two parts. First, the mashed potatoes: wash enough potatoes for about three cups mashed. Cut into cubes about one inch on a side. Prepare enough water to cover them all and toss in two beef bullion cubes (I use this thick, gooey bullion paste that's just amazing). Bring to a boil, stir, and toss in the potatoes. Let boil for thirty minutes, drain. Put 3/4 cup of milk into the microwave and make warm (about 90 seconds on high). Toss into the potatoes three tablespoons of butter (I was very indulgent and bought Polgara double-cream butter for the chocolate chip cookies I made earlier; I used it on the potatoes. Sugoi!) and mash. Add milk in little sips, mashing and stirring until it's smooth. Cover and set aside.
In a large pan, saute 1 large onion and 1 green bell pepper in two tablespoons olive oil. This takes about ten minutes. Add 1 pound of ground beef and brown, again about ten minutes. While the meet is browning (you don't have to stir it constantly), chop up 1/2 cup of dried fruit; I used a blackberry/blueberry/cherry mix I got from Trader Joe's. That's what makes this all kid-friendly. Make a 1/2 cup of hot water and stir in one full bullion cube. In a bowl, add 2 tbsp cold water to 1 tbsp cornstarch, then mix the cornstarch, bullion, and fruit together. Let sit until the meat is done, drain all the fat from the pan. Toss the cornstarch and fruit mix into the pan, let warm about a minute, then put into a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, even out the top and then roughen the surface with a fork.
Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, then brown the top with the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and let cool for ten minutes.
It worked. Kouryou-chan ate it, even commenting on the little "bumps" of sweet fruit in all the mix. I was very happy. We had cookies to celebrate.
Tonight, I made shepherd's pie. Mostly to get rid of the potatoes in the larder that were going a bit soft and growing eyes, as well as the green bell pepper before it, too, started to go soft. But the question was, how to get Kouryou-chan to eat it?
The recipe is in two parts. First, the mashed potatoes: wash enough potatoes for about three cups mashed. Cut into cubes about one inch on a side. Prepare enough water to cover them all and toss in two beef bullion cubes (I use this thick, gooey bullion paste that's just amazing). Bring to a boil, stir, and toss in the potatoes. Let boil for thirty minutes, drain. Put 3/4 cup of milk into the microwave and make warm (about 90 seconds on high). Toss into the potatoes three tablespoons of butter (I was very indulgent and bought Polgara double-cream butter for the chocolate chip cookies I made earlier; I used it on the potatoes. Sugoi!) and mash. Add milk in little sips, mashing and stirring until it's smooth. Cover and set aside.
In a large pan, saute 1 large onion and 1 green bell pepper in two tablespoons olive oil. This takes about ten minutes. Add 1 pound of ground beef and brown, again about ten minutes. While the meet is browning (you don't have to stir it constantly), chop up 1/2 cup of dried fruit; I used a blackberry/blueberry/cherry mix I got from Trader Joe's. That's what makes this all kid-friendly. Make a 1/2 cup of hot water and stir in one full bullion cube. In a bowl, add 2 tbsp cold water to 1 tbsp cornstarch, then mix the cornstarch, bullion, and fruit together. Let sit until the meat is done, drain all the fat from the pan. Toss the cornstarch and fruit mix into the pan, let warm about a minute, then put into a casserole dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, even out the top and then roughen the surface with a fork.
Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees, then brown the top with the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and let cool for ten minutes.
It worked. Kouryou-chan ate it, even commenting on the little "bumps" of sweet fruit in all the mix. I was very happy. We had cookies to celebrate.
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Date: 2005-01-14 09:25 am (UTC)