Shepherd's Pie

I love Shepherd's Pie. It has several things I like: stringy meat (i.e. meat cooked to death); good tomato-ey sauce; and mashed potatoes. What's not to like? And now I have added another favorite ingredient - buffalo - which makes this a guiltless pleasure. Below is my version. Substitute chuck meat for the buffalo if you like, and dine with a bottle Guiness if you dare. After all, this is English food at its best!

Filling

1/3 cup flour

1 tbsp, Hungarian sweet paprika

1 ½ tsp. kosher or sea salt

½ tsp pepper

3 ½ lbs. bison or chuck, cut into 2" cubes

4 rashers thick cut, smoky bacon, cut into ½" slices

1 cup chopped onion

2 chopped carrots

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 ½ cups red wine

2 ½ cups chicken broth

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh sage

Mashed potato crust

2 ½ lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

¾ cup milk

½ cup (1 stick) butter

1/3 cup whipping cream

1 heaped tsp salt

1 large egg, beaten to blend

Cook potatoes in boiling salt water until tender, 20 minutes. Drain. Heat milk, butter and cream until almost boiling. Mash potatoes and add milk mixture and salt and pepper. Mix well and add egg, mixing well again.

Preheat over to 400F. Spoon filling into a 13X9X2 baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over and smooth top. For extra flavor, sprinkle 1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese on top.

You can refrigerate the dish and bake a day or two later. Cover well if you elect to chill the dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes (50-60 minutes if chilled).