Shepherd's Pie

Description

This is my take on a Shepherd's Pie with more of a spiced cumin/coriander flavor than the traditional garlic/herbal take. By default it is low-FODMAP and dairy and gluten-free.

Equipment

• Large pot for boiling potatoes
• Large ~12 inch [~30 cm] cast iron skillet, seasoned
• Something to cover the skillet with, like a large pot lid
• Hard metal spatula
• Stirring spoon or spatula
• Strainer/colander
• Fork
• Chef's knife
• Peeler
• Cutting board
• Stove
• Oven

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1/3-1/2 cup [~100 ml] loosely packed fresh coriander leaves (remove stems before measuring)
• 2-3 teaspoons [~12.5 ml] cumin seeds
• 2-3 teaspoons [~12.5 ml] mustard seeds (any color)
• a little oil or fat (butter is great, but contains dairy)
• 1-1.3 lbs [~1/2 kg] ground lamb, preferably loosely packed
• 2 medium-sized carrots or equivalent
• 1 medium-sized Yukon gold potato (additional to the potatoes for the crust)
• Optional: 1 yellow onion (not low-FODMAP)
• ~8 ounces [~250 ml] low-FODMAP beef stock (Tabatchnick brand appears not to contain onions or garlic)
• 1-2 Tbsp [~25 ml] red wine
• ~1 Tbsp [~15 ml] fresh ground black pepper
• ~2 tsp [~10 ml] ground cinnamon
• ~2 Tbsp [~30 ml] Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ~4 tsp [~20 ml] Morton's kosher salt (to taste)
• 1/4 cup [~ 60 ml] potato starch or all-purpose flour (contains gluten)
• Optional: Ground red pepper, pepper flakes, or cayenne for spice
• Optional: Garlic powder (not low-FODMAP)

For the Mashed Potato Crust:

• 2 medium russet potatoes
• 1 medium Yukon gold potato (in addition to the potato in the filling)
• ~2 gallons [~7.5 liters] water for boiling
• Salt to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Optional: Garlic powder (not low-FODMAP)
• Extra virgin olive oil or butter (contains dairy)
• Unsweetened, unflavored almond milk or cow's milk (contains dairy)

Directions

Before anything else:

1. Preheat your oven to 425°F [~220°C]
2. Put the water for the potatoes on to boil

Prep work (while you wait):

1. Wash and peel the carrots and potato (and onion if you're using one) for the filling
2. Dice the filling potato into cubes about 1/2 inch [~1 cm] on each side
3. Cut the carrots into circles or semicircles about twice the total size of the potato cubes
4. Wash the pepper and remove the core and the seeds
5. Cut the pepper into ~1 inch by 1/3 inch [~3 cm by 3/4 cm] strips
6. Remove the stems from the coriander and mince the leaves
7. Wash and peel the potatoes for the crust (you can leave about half the peel from the Yukon gold potato on)
8. Cut the potatoes into large-ish chunks (maybe 6-8 evenly sized chunks per medium potato)

Cooking the crust (mostly in parallel with the filling):

1. Once the water in boiling, add potatoes and stir (salt can be added later)
2. Let them boil for 20 minutes
3. Potatoes are done when the russet potatoes just barely split in half when you stab them through with a fork (Yukon gold potatoes will be a bit more robust)
4. Mash the potatoes with a fork, adding the other ingredients to taste
5. Russet potatoes should be smooth, and Yukon gold potatoes add a little texture

Cooking the filling (mostly in parallel with the crust):

1. Put oil or fat in your skillet until it just barely covers the bottom (tilt the skillet to cover more area while using less oil)
2. Turn the stove on medium-low heat
3. Sprinkle cumin and mustard seeds into the pan to toast them
4. Cover the pan because the seeds will pop and fly like popcorn
5. Turn the heat down and remove the cover occasionally to stir the seeds
6. When the seeds start to brown, add lamb, coriander, salt, and black pepper
7. Cook, stirring frequently, until there isn't much or any pink left in the lamb
8. Add potatoes, carrots, bell pepper, cinnamon, and whatever other spices you might be using
9. Stir and let the potatoes start to brown
10. Add the wine and beef stock
11. Turn the heat up to medium and keep stirring
12. Let the liquid boil down a bit (about 5 minutes)
13. Add the potato starch slowly to soak up remaining liquid, stirring to prevent clumping
14. Turn off the heat

Combining and final steps:

1. Spread the mashed potatoes over the filling in the skillet with a soft rubber of silicone spatula
2. Mark where the crust will be sliced with the spatula
3. Bake the skillet in the oven for 20 minutes