What's The Difference Between Pea Soup And Mashed Potatos?

ANYBODY can mash potatos, Silly! :)

Peaceful's Not-So-Quick Tri-Textured Shepard's Pie:

 Because of a disappointing meal that I had at an English Pub here in the USA... I have decided to create a version of this great dish that's all my own...

 The so-called Shepard's Pie that I had at that pub was all... well, "Wussified " ( I hate editing myself!), It came in one of those 8 inch oval serving dishes, and it was about one and a half inches thick. The poor thing was topped with a layer of barely browned mashed potatoes that had not a hint of actual POTATO in them. I will definitely be placing a "Not Recommended " article on this one, when I am able to get the taste of that watery, sloppy, commercially created "Franken-Pie" out of my mouth...

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 You will need 4 to 5 Lbs. Of Idaho Bakers for the body of this pie, and one or two large gold potatos for the crust...

A one Lb. package of frozen garden peas-- Thaw them under running cold water,  and then soak them for a few minutes in salted water with a few drops of white vinegar-- They will keep their green colour this way... I use fresh diced carrots, parships, onions and garlic... White beets or Swede can be added to this for sweetness vs. spice...

 Your beef for this dish can be the toughest, least expensive cut that you might find, because you are going to tenderise it by marinating it in good sherry or dry Port wine for an hour or two-- ( Since the dawn of time, cows still haven't figured out what was going to happen after a few glasses of the red stuff...)

 Adding some crystal salt to your marinade, and use a sharp fork to pierce the beef roast deeply all over... Hopefully you have also managed to get a good amount of beef fat-- (This costs now in the USA, it was given away at one time...) and are in the process of rendering it slowly in your big cast iron roasting pan, at medium temperature in your oven... about 350 dg.

 Create a bed of veggies in your roasting pan ( except for the peas) for your beef and bakers to rest on, and let them enjoy this sauna for an hour and a half-- You add the marinade a bit at a time-- The saltiness of this dish is up to you, just don't let the meat or potatoes dry out.

  Slice the Golden frying potato thinly and lengthwise, and soak it in water to which you have added some baking soda...  This will help it brown properly under the grill...

 Let's Put It Together:)

  You are going to finely MASH half of the potatos with a bit of butter and fat, and SMASH, by hand, the other half with some of the veggie broth from your roasting pan... This will create two textures of great tasting potatos, peel 'em if you wish...

 Rub a proper sized baking dish and layer it with those thin slices of the Golden frying potato - you can add a dusting of fine flour to help them form an under crust... Be sure these slices have been patted nearly dry... Then place this dish under a hot  broiler for about five minutes, til you hear sizzling....

 Remove the dish and begin to build up the body of the pie with layers of mashed potatos, slices  and chunks of beef, smashed potatos, veggies and those green peas...

 Top your creation with slices of those golden potatos and place it in a hot oven for 25 minutes or so... Then under the broiler to brown a bit for the third texture...

 All the preparation and cooking will be well worth it, because you have taken the time and care to create a great casserole... Some slices of fine Cheddar and more Wine or Oat Beer and you are Home again! :)

 May this Dish bring you Fame and Good Fortune, and may It become the cause for World Peace!

Cheers! :)

http://www.idahopotato.com/project_reinvent/

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