Graham’s Gastronomy – Unshepherded Pie

The sun sets sooner and the temperatures fall, the seasons shift from summer to autumn and with the weather, so does my palate change. Again, I found myself in the company of friends cooking dinner after work. Summer vegetation is giving way to fall foliage and what once would have seemed heavy and “stick to your gut” dish now seems warming and filling. When I was told I had, among other things, ground turkey and potatoes to work with, along with organic Applewood smoked bacon grease, a series of substitutions came to mind.

Ground turkey is leaner than beef. It’s not as flavorful, drier, and is no substitute in many situations. However, if the dish has enough other components, these undesirable attributes can be hidden amongst accoutrements. I personally prefer my shepherd’s pie with chunks of lamb, but even traditionally, beef is used. Peas as a traditional English addition, but those too were not present. Starting with an aromatic base of carrots, onion (in this case, they had half a purple onion to be used), garlic, and celery then adding the corn made for a plethora of vegetable colors, all sautéing with the smell of bacon.

Again, the traditional shepherd’s pie would have the meat and vegetables beneath a layer of mashed potatoes that would then be baked for a golden, brown, and delicious crust. There were three of us eating and we were hungry. So instead, we made three variations of plating. Using a red pepper as a garnish, we layered the meat, vegetables, and potatoes in different orders and sat down to a healthier, albeit non-traditional variation of a classic dish.

Unshepherded Pie

2 lbs ground turkey

1 can or 2 cobs of corn

½ purple onion, chopped

½ white onion chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 large carrots, cut into thin coins

3 ribs celery, chopped

1 T bacon grease (optional)

3 lbs potatoes, cleaned, skin on, chopped

1 T butter

½ C milk

Boil the potatoes in enough water to cover until fork tender. Add the butter and milk and mash, season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large sautee pan, add the carrots with a few tablespoons of water and cover, when slightly tender, add the bacon grease (or whatever oil you like) both onions, garlic, corn, and celery. Sautee on med-hi until celery becomes soft and onions are translucent.

In a separate sautee pan, cook the ground turkey and flavor as you like. I added paprika, ground mustard, a little soy sauce, and pepper. Once browned, add to the vegetables and potatoes as you see fit to plate.