Ethné’s Shepherd’s Pie

Ethné went all Caribbean on this recipe: cumin in the meat, chiles in the corn, nutmeg in the potatoes and other modifications add a much needed dose of flavour to this comfort food and staple of Québecois cuisine.
Meat Mixture
- 2 cups onions, chopped
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb combined lean ground beef, pork, and veal
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-1½ tsp Cumin
- Black Pepper
- Salt
- ½ tomato, chopped or 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 1 tsp vinegar
Mashed Potatoes
Corn
- 4 cups kernel corn
- Salt
- Aleppo pepper
Method
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1
In a pan, sauté onion in olive oil for three minutes.
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2
Add meats and cook until crumbly.
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3
Add remaining Meat Mixture ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside.
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4
In a pot of boiling salted water, cook potatoes until soft. Drain.
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5
Mash potatoes.
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6
In a pot, heat the milk with butter, salt, nutmeg and green onions. Once heated, pour into Mashed Potatoes and whisk. Set aside.
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7
In a medium bowl, mix together corn, salt and hot pepper.
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8
In a blender, purée a portion of corn mixture.
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9
In a flat casserole dish, create three layers with ingredients in the following order: meat, corn, potatoes. Cook 30-40 minutes at 375ºF.