Shepherds Pie, Paso Robles Style

The final act..20 minutes or so...topped with Romano Cheese sprinkled with fresh parsley, carrots and a couple of peas....

A Paso Robles twist to a English favorite. Being in the Central Coast gets you thinking of warm and hearty, what's available for the best price at the market, melting both into the culture and client.

Since we are really an Agriculture center, wine being our biggest crop, the items at the store that seem the most appealing (and priced right) have the tendency to be orientated to the workers that bring in the harvest.

Taking a"fajita" cut of beef I started with a roasted garlic and shallot mixture sauteed in olive oil and threw in the flour coated (salt and peppered) beef into the fire hot pan. Quickly browning the meat with a splash of red wine, parsley and a couple of bay leaves, I added cooked slice carrots and a few frozen peas alongside sliced mushrooms with a nice beef gravy.

All the while I was boiling a few potatoes, preparing to mash away. With the potatoes the regular standard of butter, salt and pepper, and heavy cream instead of milk topped off with an egg yolk to add a bit of richness was beaten into the mix.

I placed the meat mixture in oven proof baking dishes and spooned the potato mixture on top to bake in a 350 degree oven for forty minutes.

I'm waiting now for the second round of creation to take place. I'll be back with the rest in 20 or so minutes.