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If you call something shepherd’s pie on the Internet but you use beef instead of lamb, people freak out. I personally like this recipe better with beef, but it works both ways, so I wanted to leave it open for you to decide. The fun part of this recipe is biting into a meatball to find the soft mashed potato on the inside.
Makes: 30 to 35 meatballs
Heat: 0
Pig-Out Scale: 6.4
Potatoes
2 large russet potatoes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons (56 g) butter
2 carrots, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 cups (230 g) corn
½ cup (120 ml) cream
Meatballs
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce
2 slices bread
2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk
¼ cup (16 g) chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ pounds (680 g) ground beef or lamb
Make the Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375˚F (190˚C, or gas mark 5). Rub the potatoes with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 ½ ours, until tender.
Meanwhile, heat the butter in a small pan and add the carrot and onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the corn and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix in the cream and remove from the heat. When the potatoes are ready, peel and chop them, put them in a bowl, and pour the corn mixture over them. Mash it up really well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Allow the potatoes to cool a little, and then begin rolling them into 1-inch (2.5-cm) balls. Put the potato balls onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and put them into the freezer for about an hour.
Make the Meatballs: Combine the garlic, Worcestershire, bread, milk, parsley and salt in a food processor and pulse until fairly smooth. In a large bowl, mix this mixture into the meat. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Stuff It!: Take the frozen potato balls out of the freezer and begin wrapping them in meat. Flatten some meat into the palm of your hand, put the potato ball on top of it, and wrap the meat around it, adding more if needed. They should end up as large meatballs, between 2 and 2 ¼ inches (5 and 5.6 cm) in diameter. Place on a baking sheet.
Cook It: Broil the meatballs for about 7 minutes per side until browned all around. Keep your eye on potato trying to escape, and if it starts oozing out, get it out of the oven quick! Serve these just as an appetizer with some gravy, or in a meatball sandwich, also with gravy.
This recipe is posted with permission from STUFFED: THE ULTIMATE COMFORT FOOD COOKBOOK.
Wow, never heard of it in meatballs before. I have made the shepherds pie before in layers but this does sound pretty good. I would be using the beef as well.