Steven Haal

After a bit of ballyhoo and requesting, then time spent going back and figuring out what the recipe actually is, I have thus come upon the follow as my shepherds recipe, complete with unicorn tears. Takes about 50-60 minutes.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

1 8qt stock pot
1 large skillet
1 pyrex casserole dish (or whatever kind you have)

1 lb ground beef (85/15) or turkey (can also upgrade to lamb)
1 sweet yellow onion
1 12 oz bottle of porter (beer store)
1 bottle red wine (part for recipe, part for you!)
Mashed potatoes (or you can make from scratch…)
1 cup chopped carrots
1.5 cups peas

Olive oil                              Red vinegar                      Balsamic vinegar
Brown sugar                       Oregano                           Crushed red pepper
Ground red pepper              Ground black pepper        Paprika
Cayenne pepper                  Vegeta (Central market)    Cumin
Herbamare (Central mkt)     Garlic powder                   Emeril’s “original essence”

GOAL: For the taste to be equally spicy and vinegary. Then the mashed potatoes on top provide a creaminess that ties it all together.  KEEP TASTING as you make this dish to insure it is how spicy you like it — and that the vinegary taste then equals that level of spiciness.

STEP 1: THE ONION (10min or so)

1. Put large oven burner on high
2. drizzle some olive or vegetable oil in to pan
   -drizzle for the time it takes to say “one-thousand-one” and that should be enough
3. Chop onion in to small-fine pieces
4. Pour yourself a glass of red wine and have some.
5. Dump in to the pan, which should now be hot.
6. Using a wooden spoon, keep stirring the onion — the goal is to carmelize and soften the pieces. 
7. Add a strong dash of crushed red pepper — keep stirring
8. Add about 1/4 cup of brown sugar — keep stirring
9. Once they’ve been in the pan for about 5 minutes, they’re don
10. Pour them into a bowl and set it aside for later

STEP 2: THE MEAT (25 min or so)

1. Put large oven burner on high
2. drizzle some olive or vegetable oil in to pan, as previously
3. put in your meat and continually stir, “chop” with wooden utensil* until about half-browned
   
   *NOTE: I like to use a flat-tipped wooden spoon, so I can push through the meat, chopping it up progressively
   
   
4. Cover pan and drain off most of the liquid (fat)
5. Pour in half-bottle of porter
6. Add in:
   1 tbsp vegeta
   1 tbsp Emerils oringal essence
   1/4 cup oregano
   1/2 tbsp Herbamare
   1/4 tbsp cumin
   1/2 tbsp paprika
   1/2 tbsp black ground pepper
   1/2 tbsp ground red pepper
   1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper
   1/3 cup red wine vinegar
   1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
   pre-made onions
   
   
7. Add in vegetables:
   1 cup chopped carrots
   1.5 cups peas
   1 cup corn (if desired)
   
   NOTE: Once veggies are added, stir the pot for a few moments — you should still see liquid at the bottom. If it looks even remotely dry, keep adding a little porter and red wine vinegar until it looks like there’s a good1/4 inch of liquid at the bottom — this should be a juicy dish! ALSO: keep tasting — you want to maintain equal strength in the taste of spice and vinegar.
   
   
8. Set burner to medium-low and simmer for 10min
9. have some more wine.
10. Set oven to pre-heat to 300 degrees

STEP 3: THE POTATOES (10 min or so)

1. Easy — make half the box. Follow the instructions on the back of the box you chose. 
   
   TIP:  Sub out milk for half of the water amount directed. Sub out half & half for part of the milk required. Sub out garlic powder for 1/3 the salt required.
   
   
2. DON’T bring the liquid to a boil!  Get it to where the top of the liquid looks a little frothy, with steam rising — THEN slowly pour in your flakes and stir, stir, stir until it is smooth!
3. Add giant tablespoon of butter to it — stir some more. Most people won’t know these potatoes aren’t real!

STEP 4: FINISHING (5 min or so)

1. Ladle the meat mixture in to the casserole dish — only half deep.
2. Spoon on to the meat a layer of potatoes equal in height to the meat.
3. Even it out like you would icing on a cake
4. Put it in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until the top of the potatoes begin to brown.
5. pull it out
6. EAT

RESULT:  A to-your-own-taste spicy dish, that is balanced by the twangyness of the vinegar, all wrapped up in the creamy goodness of the potatoes!