Last week Mr Dreamy showed me a recipe that someone had posted onto Facebook. Said it looked pretty tasty -- it did! It was a recipe for Shepperd's Pie -- now I tend to think of Shepperd's Pie as showcasing lamb and since I tend to use beef for this classic comfort food, I call it Cottage Pie. Mental note to myself, do a low carb makeover and serve this SOON!!
Now I had great confidence that this was not going to be a difficult remix. First I looked at my old tried and true recipe from my pre-low carb lifestyle days. This was a leftover usage recipe for me -- pot roast, gravy, carrots and mashed potatoes all got a second appearance with this recipe. Next, I looked to see exactly how both Shepperd's and Cottage Pie were defined -- Cottage pie or shepherd's pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato. The term cottage pie is known to have been in use in 1791, when the potato was being introduced as an edible crop affordable for the poor. Now it was time to get to work!!
Cottage Pie
1-lb stew meat, cut into small bite-sized pieces
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 large stalks celery, chopped, leaves included
8 oz sliced mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup beef stock or red wine (nutrition stats for stock)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb turnips, peeled and cubed
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp dried parsley
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan to medium-high. Cook stew meat until well browned. Add onions, celery, mushrooms and season to taste. Add beef stock or wine and turn heat to low. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until meat has cooked to tender. Uncover and allow excess liquid to cook away. Add cream, cover and remove from heat. Meanwhile, steam your cubed turnips and mash with butter, parsley and seasonings to taste. Spoon meat into an ovenproof dish and pipe or spoon the mashed turnips over to cover. Place into preheated 375° oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and starting to brown on top. Serves 4 hearty servings. Each serving contains 567 calories, 12g total carbs, 3.65g fiber = 8.35g net carbs.
Just a note -- this was TOTAL comfort food and will make many more appearances in the upcoming colder weather months. Any more suggestions Mr. Dreamy?