Glass Houses by Louise Penny
Mini Summary: In their little village of Three Pines, Armand and his neighbors receive an unsettling visitor and soon after, there is a murder. Linking the past and present, Gamache and his team search for pieces to a much bigger puzzle than they had initially anticipated.
Well, how could I not, right? When Gabri, the local Bistro’s owner, gets a Shepherd’s Pie in the works and, with a shrug, grabs a hunk of gruyere, I knew exactly what I wanted to make! (Well, I also did want to make those marshmallow brownies of Jaqueline’s, too, which are still in the works.) Pretty much cheese with any kind of starch is my coziest, comfiest combination and I’m pretty sure that’s what Gabri was looking for in his decisive moment, too. For all those cheese and carb eaters out there, this one’s for you.
What a great read! I’ve really enjoy her books and their quirky, unique characters. This mystery series is delightful and I can’t help but love Gamache, the Detective of the Day. Rivaling her rich character development are Louise Penny’s active descriptions of food. This may actually be half the reason I like her books! So much to imagine making and eating!
Shepherd’s Pie with Gruyere
Course: DinnerCuisine: English, North American8
servings1
hour15
minutes40
minutes1
hour10
minutesA bubbly beef and lamb stew with a topped with a layer of cheesy gruyere mashed potatoes.
Ingredients
- For the Mashed Potato Top
2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, chopped into 2 inch cubes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2-3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons dijion mustard
8-10 ounces gruyere cheese, grated
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- For the Stew
1 medium onion (about 10 ounces), finely chopped
7 medium carrots (about 2 ounces each), peeled, and chopped to 1/2 inch cubes
6-7 ribs celery, sliced lengthwise and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
3 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons red wine, optional
2 1/2 cups beef or vegetable broth (mushroom broth is spot on)
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground lamb
1/4 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons(ish) chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- For the Potatoes
- Put the chopped potatoes into a medium pot and fill the pot with cold water so the potatoes are covered with an inch of water over the top pieces. Add in the bay leaves and salt.
- Bring the potatoes to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pot, cooking on a high simmer for 20-30 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
I recommend starting the potatoes right away and letting them cook while you carry on with the recipe. Once they’re cooked, just leave them on an unheated burner until you are ready for them. - For the Stew
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat a large, deep sided skillet or pot to medium heat and add in a tablespoon of oil. Put in the lamb and the beef and break them up into smaller pieces. Let the ground meat brown on one side for a few minutes before stirring. Cook the meat until just done. Remove from the pot and drain off any drippings and discard. Return the pot to the stove.
- Turn the temperature to medium low. Put 2 tablespoons of butter in the pot along with the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook the vegetables for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have become tender. Sprinkle on the fresh herbs. Make a bare space in the center of the pot and put in it the remaining tablespoon of butter and the garlic. Let the garlic sizzle in the butter for about 30 seconds, moving it around so it doesn’t burn. Mix the garlic into the other vegetables.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for a couple minutes. Pour the wine over the vegetables, it you’re using it, and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any stuck bits. If you aren’t using the wine, just use a few extra splashes of broth or even water.
- Add in all of the broth, stirring the mixture to combine. Increase the heat to medium or medium high and bring the mixture to a pleasant bubbling boil. The broth should thicken. Add back into the pot the meat as well as the frozen peas. Season with parsley, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust as needed.
- Pour the stew into a deep sided 9×13 baking dish. See Note 1
- Back to the Potatoes
- Drain the potato water off and remove the bay leaves.
- Add into the pot the cream, sour cream, and mustard. Mash the potatoes, seasoning with salt along the way. Once the potatoes are mashed to your liking, sprinkle in 1/2 of the grated gruyere and chives and stir with a large spoon until it’s completely mixed. Add in the remaining gruyere and stir gently so the cheese doesn’t completely melt in the hot potatoes.
- Scoop out large spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes and scatter the dollops on top of the stew in the baking dish. Once all of the potatoes have been scooped out, gently spread the potatoes over the stew, covering it completely with mashed potato.
- Bake the shepherd’s pie in the oven until the top has browned bits and the stew bubbled up.
Notes
- Note 1: If you only have a standard 9×13 dish, just be careful not to overfill it. You may need to leave a little stew out. Also I’d recommend putting a large baking sheet on the rack below the shepherd’s pie when you cook it, catching any bubbled-over drips.