07 May 2025

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.

8 comments:

  1. Tasha is a sweetie :)
    I only just started making (a version of) Hachis parmentier a few years ago, and I add sautéed minced carrot, red bell pepper, corn, and green onion or leeks. And, I started getting lazy and don't even put the mashed potatoes on top anymore, so I skip the oven part (I'm sure I made that change when we were hungry and ready to eat, and since the potatoes were already hot, I just spooned them on the side).

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    1. All that sounds good. Thanks for the ideas.

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  2. That dish is available frozen at Aldi's. It's not as good as homemade though. It doesn't have lamb but calls itself shepherd's pie.

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  3. Ah shepherd's pie - wonderful comfort food!

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  4. Looks good. Did Tasha react to the deer?
    BettyAnn

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    1. I don't think Tasha saw the deer. But when we walked on to the spot where I had seen them, she could smell them. They had fled into the woods by then.

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    2. Thanks.
      BettyAnn

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  5. I've made one with minced venison. Perhaps I should call that "poacher's pie"

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