Shepherd Pie - Moussaka

Video

Images

Ingredients/ Instructions

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground lamb
• 2 eggplant
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 russet potatoes
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 stick butter
• salt to taste
• 1 egg
• fresh mint
• 2 tbl olive oil
• Spice Mix
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbl ground cumin
• 1 tbl cinnamon
• 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbl black pepper
• 1 tbl salt
• 2 tbl herb de provance - or Italian or Greek dried herb mix
• 1 tbl paprika
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

Step 1

Peel and chop the 4 cloves garlic. Dice the 1/2 onion.

Step 2

Add 2 tbsp olive into a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the diced onion.
Cook for a few seconds, then put down 2 lbs ground lamb. Toss and stir the lamb.
cook for a few minutes, add the Spice mixture and the garlic. Toss well.
When the lamb becomes brown, leave them over medium heat.

Step 3

Cut off both ends of the eggplant, then erect it. Use a knife to peel the eggplant.
Then slice the eggplant, turn it and dice the slices.
This is the restaurant way to prepare the eggplant.

Step 4

When the lamb is ready, add 1/3 cup tomato paste and the diced eggplant.
Simmer on medium heat for 40-45 minutes or until eggplant's cooked.
After that, Use a wood spoon the put all meat mixture on one side.
After a few minutes, use a paper towel to soak the excess oil on the other side.

Step 5

Take 3 russet potatoes, Peel and cut in half. Bring them to a boil, then simmer until tender.
Then drain well, and put them into a bowl, add 1/2 stick butter. Mash them well.
Add 1/2 cup milk, a pinch of salt, and 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese, stir well.
Add 1 egg, whisk well.

Step 6

Preheat Oven to 400F.
Put the meat mixture into a baking dish. Add the mashed potato on the top. Use a fork to spread the potato around.
Topped with the remaining cheese. Bake in an oven for 20 minutes or until beautifully browned.

Step 7

Add some fresh mint on a serving plate, then put a piece of Shepherd’s Pie on them. Enjoy.

Comments

• John - Wed 17 Feb 2010 @ 12:47

  For those of you that aren’t hip (like me…I don’t have an iPod which automatically makes me not hip), a “mash-up” usually refers to a DJ taking two different songs and mixing and “mashing” them together to produce a new musical creation. My personal favorite, the Jay Z/Linkin Park mash-up MTV did a few years ago. If you haven’t heard any of that, and you’re under 60 years old (Hi, Mom), then check it out, it’s great stuff. Big Pimpin for real. Anyway, in that same spirit of combining two great things to make a new even greater thing, I present today’s video recipe clip.

• John - Wed 17 Feb 2010 @ 12:47

  I love classic Greek “Moussaka.” Layers of lamb and eggplant, exotically spiced and topped with a rich, almost custard-like sauce. I also love a good Shepherd’s Pie, what’s not to like about a pie made out of ground meat and mashed potatoes? So, I thought I would try a Shepherd’s Pie using the flavor components of the Greek “Moussaka.” Did it work? Damn right! It was really good, and next to a green salad, made for a very satisfying supper on a foggy San Francisco night.

• John - Wed 17 Feb 2010 @ 12:48

  A few suggestions before you watch the clip. The potato topping I do is relatively bland since I was topping a very highly seasoned meat base. You should use my spice amounts below as a rough guide, and add the cumin, cinnamon and hot pepper in increments until you have something that tastes right to you. The lamb and eggplant mixture is NOT subtlety spiced in this dish, and the ingredient amounts reflect that fact. This dish should explode with exotic and aromatic flavor. To me that’s what makes the “crispy and browned on the top, but moist and tender underneath” potato topping such a great contrast. And don’t forget the fresh mint. As you hear me say in the clip, I used chocolate mint, which you can find at the better garden centers (or order the seeds online – it’s an amazing herb), but plain supper market mint will work beautifully. Enjoy!