I never thought something as simple as shepards pie would be so damn time consuming. I guess because I never made one before. Make broth, then stew, then mashed potatoes, then bake together. Not to mention all the chopping, shredding, timing, and cooking. To be honest, I never actually made it to the pie part. I just plopped stew and potatoes in a bowl and called it a day. Pie be damned!
I don't like parsnips. Don't. I've tried them roasted, stewed, and turned into french fries. Don't. Funky. No. However, the broth... the BROTH. So worth it. So.Worth. It. Worth it enough to spend extra time typing in caps with periods after every word. That takes time, yo. Also, celery root! Man, I don't like celery but this root business might have something to it. It did taste nutty and delicious like promised.The problem, however, was the one I got was obviously old because it wasn't crisp and shreddable, it was spongy and tough. Sigh. Still, I know now that it tastes great, so I just have to find better ones.
This recipe is pretty flexible with substitutions and that's probably a good thing since some items might be hard to find in your area. Just do the best you can. Who cares, right? For example, I couldn't find pearl onions or anything close, so I used frozen pearl onions in a cream sauce. No biggie. I think I'll try this again with winter squash and sweet potatoes for a winterized version. Doesn't that sound lovely?
Vegetarian Shepards Pie
