A glance at a lunch and a vineyard view

A couple of days ago I made what is called a shepherd's pie for our lunch. We all know what that is, even though purists will tell you that it shouldn't be called a shepherd's pie unless it's made with mutton or lamb. The pie made with beef, like this one, should be called a "cottage" pie. In France, this is called un hachis parmentier, named after a man named Parmentier who is credited with convincing people in France that potatoes were good food for people, and not just for livestock.

I didn't have quite enough ground beef, so I added some mushrooms and some green garden peas to the hachis de bœuf. Cook the meat mixture separately and put it in the bottom of an oven-proof dish. Carefully spread the mashed potatoes over the hachis and bake the dish in a hot oven until it browns on top. Optionally, sprinkle some grated cheese over the potato layer. That's what I did, using Gruyère cheese.

Earlier in the day, I had taken Tasha the Shetland sheep dog out for a walk in the vineyard out back. She seems to love running up and down the rows of vines. A minute or two later we happened upon a couple of little roe deer grazing on grass on the south edge of the vineyard.