On May 29th, 1914, the Canadian Pacific Steamship "Empress of Ireland" collided with the Norwegian coal ship "SS Storstad," and sank 14 minutes later.
Join me, Chef Money, on this St. Patrick's Day inspired show, as we take a look back at a marine tragedy on par with RMS Titanic, but not nearly as talked about.
And, along the way, we will make an Irish inspired dish. Something that I like to call, "Starboard Side Shepherd's Pie."
Starboard Side Shepherd's Pie
•2 lbs of ground beef or ground lamb
•1 onion – diced
•2-3 lbs of potatoes – you’ll want enough mashed potatoes to cover the top of your dish
•2½ cups of frozen peas and carrots
•1 tbsp EVOO
•2½ tbsp butter
•¼ cup cream cheese
•¼ cup cream – I’ll be using 35%
•⅓ Cup of flour
•At least 3 cloves of garlic- minced
•2 tsp fresh rosemary – finely chopped
•1 tbsp ketchup
•1 tsp paprika
•⅛ tsp of cinnamon
•⅛ tsp of cayenne pepper
•¼ at least of your fav. Sharp cheddar
•2 cups of water or beef broth
•½ cup of Guiness
•Salt and Pepper – to taste
1.Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2.Place olive oil and butter into a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion and ground meat; brown the meat, breaking it up as it cooks, about 10 minutes.
3.Stir in flour until incorporated, then mix in salt, black pepper, rosemary, paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, ketchup, and garlic; cook and stir until garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
4.Stir in water and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring mixture to a simmer; cook and stir until thick, about 5-6 minutes.
5.Stir in peas and carrots until combined.
6.Spread meat mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
7.Place potatoes and (at least) 2 cloves of peeled garlic into a large pan of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to pot.
8.Mash butter, garlic, cream, cream cheese, and cheddar cheese into the potatoes. Mash until combined and potatoes are smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper
9.Top the meat mixture in the baking dish with the mashed potatoes and spread evenly to cover.
10.Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.