My half-British boyfriend got excited when I mentioned
shepherd’s pie—little did we know it would actually take a
Mexican-venison-taco-chili turn. Obviously, this recipe can be accomplished
with ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, or--I won’t tell--ground feral
cat. (just kidding, don’t do that).
It all started when my boss, who hunts, gave us some ground
venison. I decided to make a chili, sautéing onions and garlic in a skillet
first.
A word about onions: I’ve found a great trick for cutting
them in (almost) equal size pieces. I learned from a friend, but this video does a good job explaining. There are lots of old wives tales to avoid onion
tears, but I use a handy pair of Onion Goggles that my mom got me. You what?
You want to see a picture of me wearing them? Well, I don’t know about tha…OK,
fine.
Put some olive oil in the skillet, let it heat up, then add onions first, since they take a bit longer to
cook (and are in larger pieces than the minced garlic). Then add garlic to
the same skillet, and cook until they start smelling yummy (at least yummy to
me—if you don’t like garlic or onions, we can’t be friends. Sorry.) Then I add
the meat to brown in the skillet. Then some stock (chicken, beef, vegetable or
water + bouillon cubes, depending on your budget. About 1/2 cup) and a can of diced tomatoes.
To season, I add some chili powder, cumin & taco seasoning (about ½ of one of the packets you can buy
in Kroger. If you’re not into packaged seasonings, which can sometimes be too
salty, you can just add a bit of salt, some chili powder, some cayenne if you
want it more spicy, some cumin, etc.) My secret ingredient in this is about a ½
teaspoon of cinnamon when the meat is browning and liquid is evaporating. It
makes everything smell that much more wonderful, and it adds another element of
Mexican-osity. And maybe some Morocco-ness. Stir to make sure the powdered spices are fully incorporated. Biting into a dry pocket of spice powder is.the.worst.
Simmer until liquid is mostly evaporated (you still want a bit of liquid to keep it from drying out when you broil), meat is browned,
and your mouth is watering from the delicious smells.
While the meat simmered, I washed and cut my Russet
potatoes.
I like to wash my potatoes really well with the cute little
brush you see in the photo (also from my mom—what a kitchen enabler!) because I
like to keep the skins on. Three reasons for this: 1) skin is where most of the
nutrients live, 2) peeling takes FOREVER, 3) dirt don’t hurt. You can just
scrub your potatoes with your hands, but if you do use a brush, definitely
don’t use the same brush you wash dishes with.
Boil the potatoes until they cut easily with a wooden spoon
(this is the best way to test done-ness with vegetables.)
I like using wooden spoons because they make me feel rustic,
old-fashioned and like I’m channeling Julia Child, and they are more fun to hit
people on the butt with.
When the potatoes are done, mash them. I like mine chunky,
so I use a masher, but if you’re a smooth (potato) criminal, you’ll probably
want a hand mixer. I added some butter while mashing.
Put the cooked meat in a 9x13 pan as the first layer, then
put the mashed potatoes on top. I pat them down a bit, to make sure this meal
is extra rib-stickin'. I salted & peppered the top, then added a couple pats of
butter, to make sure the potatoes have flavor, too.
Then broil for about 10 minutes, until the top is golden
brown & lovely & delicious & crispy & wonderful.
A good pairing with this dish would be a nice Merlot or
Cabernet Sauvignon, or a delightful 2013 vintage PBR. Enjoy this cross-Atlantic cultural mash-up!
This looks super easy and yummy!
ReplyDeleteJackie, it's both! I was telling Kali that mine turned out a bit dry (I think I boiled off too much liquid), but if you put a layer of steak sauce or BBQ sauce on top of the meat, then put potatoes on top it would probably turn out even more flavorful & juicy. Good luck! :)
DeleteWhich vineyard provided your PBR vintage?
ReplyDelete