By The Singh-family Diwali gathering was Saturday October 22. The dessert table was a hit. The two new desserts I had developed for the table (the dark-chocolate-pink-salt truffle, the cardamom-pistachio shortbread) were the most-asked-about items. The Sapulpa-pumpkin-patch family trip was Saturday October 29 (yesterday at the time of this writing). Brayden is fifty-six weeks old.
The shepherd’s pie baked potatoes are the deconstructed-shepherd’s-pie weeknight format — whole russet potatoes baked at four-twenty-five for ninety minutes, split open, fluffed, then filled with a ground-lamb-and-vegetable shepherd’s-pie filling, topped with shredded cheddar, finished under the broiler for two minutes. The structural premise is that the baked potato substitutes for the mashed-potato topping of a traditional shepherd’s pie. The cooking time is shorter and the format is one-person-per-potato instead of one-casserole-for-the-table.
The technique question is the cook-time coordination. The potatoes need ninety minutes. The filling needs forty minutes. The cheese and broil need three. The fix is starting the potatoes first, making the filling during the potato bake (which gives the filling time to develop while the potatoes are doing their thing), and assembling at the end with the broiler.
Sunday I made four. Dustin had two. I had one. Brayden had a small portion of the plain mashed-fluffed-potato (no filling, no cheese) with a small spoonful of plain cooked ground lamb. The leftover potato went in the freezer for a Tuesday lunch.
The blog’s small Sunday-publish rhythm continues. The catering business has been the small foreground of the small year’s work. The cookbook in its small online-store. The small recurring-clients (Singh family, Yates family, the corporate-luncheon brokerage) anchor the small reliable-revenue stream. The small one-off-jobs round out the small income.
Carol Bryant has been on the small Friday-call rhythm. Carol calls at five PM Tulsa time (six PM Memphis time). The call lasts twenty minutes. The conversation moves through Brayden, the small Bryant-cookbook collaboration, the small Memphis-news. The small grandmother-relationship continues to deepen.
Shepherd’s Pie Baked Potatoes
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 1 hr | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20)
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Bake the potatoes. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Pierce each potato several times with a fork, place directly on the oven rack, and bake for 50–60 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Remove and let cool slightly.
- Brown the beef. While potatoes bake, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and diced onion. Cook, breaking the meat up, until browned and cooked through, about 7–8 minutes. Drain excess fat.
- Build the filling. Stir tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper into the skillet. Add the frozen mixed vegetables and cook 3–4 minutes until vegetables are heated through and the mixture is fragrant.
- Open the potatoes. Slice each baked potato lengthwise down the center and press the ends gently to open. Add 1/2 tablespoon of butter to each potato and fluff the inside lightly with a fork.
- Load and serve. Spoon the shepherd’s pie filling generously over each potato. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream if using. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 490 | Protein: 28g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 52g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 520mg