I know
shepherd's pie is not normally made with ham but this is so good.
It is one of my favorite dinners to make with leftover ham.
Leftover ham works great, but ham steaks or even ham from the deli
work well too. This recipe easily feeds 4.
Ham Filling
2 tbl
olive oil
1
yellow onion, diced
½ tsp
salt
½ tsp
freshly
ground black pepper
1 lb
ham,
diced, leftover is best but any ham will do
¾ tsp
granulated
garlic
½ tsp
dried
thyme
2 tbl
AP
flour
1½
cups
chicken
stock
¼ lb
diced
Swiss cheese
10 oz
frozen
mixed vegetables
2 cups
diced
leftover ham
Potato Topping
1½ lbs
russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
¼ cup
whole milk
3 tbl
butter
¾ cup
grated sharp cheddar cheese (grate it
yourself, not that crap in a bag)
½ tsp
salt
¼ tsp
freshly ground black pepper
¾ tsp
granulated garlic
1
egg yolk
First make the
ham filling.
Heat the olive
oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, salt, and
pepper and cook until the onions are translucent. This should take
about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the ham, garlic, and thyme, and cook for
another 4 to 5 minutes Add the flour, stir well, and cook for 1
minute more.
Add the stock
and increase the heat. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to
a simmer, and cook until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir
constantly while it thickens. Remove from the heat, add the Swiss
cheese, frozen vegetables, taste, and season with more salt and
pepper if needed.
Now make the
potato topping.
Add the potatoes
to a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce
to a simmer and cook until fork tender (a fork goes in with ease).
This should take about 15 minutes, Drain the potatoes and transfer
them to a bowl.
Add the milk and
butter and use a hand mixer to whip until smooth and the butter
has melted. Stir in the Cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and
granulated garlic. Stir until the cheese has melted then taste and
season with more salt and pepper, if needed. Lastly, stir in the
egg yolk.
Heat your oven
to 400°.
Now assemble
your Shepard’s pie.
Spray a 10”
cast iron skillet or
comparably sized oven safe casserole dish with non-stick
cooking spray. Pour the ham filling in. Spread the potato topping
evenly over the top. We use an icing spatula sprayed with
non-stick cooking spray for this. Use a fork to make a design on
the top of the potato topping. (Criss crosses, heckerboard
pattern, sunburst pattern going from middle to edges, squiggly
lines, etc.)
Put the filled
skillet or baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any
potential spillover and bake until bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.
Once it gets hot and bubbly, move the Shepard’s Pie closer to the
broiler and broil until nicely browned on top. This should only
take 1 to 2 minutes. The potato topping goes from brown to burnt
very quickly, watch it closely. Take the Shepard’s pie out of the
oven and let it cool for 10 to 20 minutes before serving.
