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rachelellen_gw

Garlic with Shepherd's Pie and Garlic

18 years ago

Whhhoooooeeeey, she exclaims, as the garlic fumes she's trying to restrain wisp out of her nostrils & ears!

Goodness! Last night I roasted a leg of lamb. I'd stuffed a whole head of garlic into it, in slivers, about an inch or so apart. Then I roasted 3 heads of garlic, cut in half, in the same pan to squeeze out on the lamb and bread as we ate it.

Today, it occurred to me that I hadn't made a Shepherd's Pie in over twenty years. So I diced (a small dice, but not quite a mince) the lamb, onions & celery.

I sauteed the onions and celery with fresh marjoram and rosemary from my garden, & added a bay leaf & a big clove of garlic.

Then I made a roux, with butter & flour, and when it was golden brown, I added the veggies & lamb, and about a cup of lamb stock I'd made from the pan drippings, water & white wine.

In the meantime, I had been boiling red potatoes (with skins), and when they were ready, I mashed them up with butter & milk...then noticed a small jar of horseradish sauce I had leftover from a beef dinner (my yogurt & horseradish), and tossed that in. Then I thought of the head of roasted garlic I had left over and how good the roasted garlic mashed potatoes had been at the restaurant I worked for...so I smashed those cloves up and mixed them into the potatoes as well.

The lamb and veggie mixture went into a casserole, to be topped with the garlicky, horseradish laced mashed potatoes. Then I got to thinking about the half bag of Panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) I had in the pantry, and melted butter to saute them in. Those went on top with a generous layer of Parmesan.

Into the oven it went, and in 40 minutes, my husband and I had a real garlic experience! I don't know what I was thinking. On top of the large (and only briefly cooked) clove of garlic in the veggies, there was the whole head of roasted garlic in the potatoes...AND the many garlic slivers that inserted into the lamb.

Gosh it was delicious!

But now, my own breath feels hot in my nose, and my husband has gone off to sing with his Barbershop group. :0

Poor guys. :P

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