Fall Hearty Recipe | Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
In the book, “French Comfort Food”, writer Hillary Davis brings me back to the special trip I took with my daughters to France. They were 13 and 11 years old at the time. We took a ‘Market Tour’, where our tour guide led us through a daily French market experience showing us etiquette, rules, how to choose groceries, and communicate. It was eye-opening and fun to learn how the French shop daily for their evening meal. A beautiful experience with my daughters. This recipe book brings me back to that special trip. Hillary’s French recipes make me feel like I’m in France, warm, full, and content. This Shepherd’s Pie recipe caught my attention. The baking dish linked here made the recipe complete and a call to my daughters made my heart complete. Happy fall! To purchase the book click here. It is also available in my store on Brooks Street.
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 3-4 teaspoons all purpose flour
- 4 medium russet potatoes, quartered
- coarse sea salt and black pepper
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1.5 cups grated Gruyere
- .5 cup of milk
- 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
- 4 medium zucchini, sliced vertically then into 1/4 inch slices
- 12 large basil leaves
- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 1 medium carrot, coarsely grated
- 4 Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 3 teaspoons of sugar
PREP
Generously oil the baking dish and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Peel and finely chop 2 cloves garlic. Peel and finely slice the other 2. Mix tomato paste with the flour.
COOK TOPPING
Begin by putting the potatoes into the saucepan, cover with water, generously salt, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and when cool to the touch pull off the skins. Put the potatoes through a ricer or beat them quickly in the stand mixer to break down. Add butter, .5 teaspoon salt, .25 teaspoon pepper, and .5 cup of cheese and beat until incorporated. Pour in enough of the milk to bring the potatoes to the consistency you like, adding more than called for if you want them to be lighter, although you need them to be thick enough to hold their shape when piled on top of the vegetables.
COOK FILLING
In the large pot, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil then add chopped garlic and onion and cook on medium for about 8 minutes. Add bell pepper and zucchini and stir. Add 8 torn basil leaves and some rosemary and thyme leaves then stir. Add eggplant, carrot, and tomatoes and stir. Stir in tomato paste mixture, the sliced garlic, and remaining olive oil and cook over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring frequently to turn the vegetables over. Taste and add salt and pepper, if you wish. Transfer the ratatouille into the baking dish and even the top. Sprinkle with remaining torn basil leaves. top with big spoonfuls of mashed potatoes and swirl decoratively then evenly sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Give it all a sprinkle of coarse sea salt and coarsely ground pepper, place on the baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden on top.