Welcome to DavazNet

Carl Davaz

The first time I ate Shepherd's Pie was after a flight that had been delayed by snow. Gathered around the table at our friends' cozy house in the north of England, nothing could have been more perfect for that cold January night. Since then, our version of Shepherd's Pie that we call Reindeer Pie has become a winter staple. The recipe is a take-off on Rudolph Pie found in the book "Feast: Food to Celebrate Life" by Nigella Lawson.

Shepherd's Pie is really supposed to be made with lamb and Cottage Pie with beef, but we won't quibble. Reindeer Pie isn't made with reindeer, though venison or elk would make a fine meat pie.

Hearty, flavorful and nutritious with a thick blanket of creamy mashed potatoes, what's not to love on a cold night?

Another plus for this recipe is that it's so adaptable. Replace the beef with ground dark turkey or chicken. Textured vegetable protein or crumbled seitan might be good here, too. Or you can omit the meat and add more vegetables.

A dish like this is a good place to practice a little subterfuge. We're talking covert nutrition. Use any finely diced root vegetable, parsnips (looks like a white carrot), turnips (looks like a giant white and purple radish), and/or rutabagas (looks like a larger turnip, but more yellow than white with the purple.) They'll never be questioned in the savory tomato sauce.

If you aren't planning on feeding a group, freeze the meat and vegetable mixture in usable portions. You can thaw smaller amounts quickly and make little pies fairly quickly.

I like to play with my food, using my finger to draw Rudolph's head and making crosshatches with a fork so it will brown and show off the design. A cranberry makes a fine nose, with a bit of olive for the eye. I like to add some cranberry sauce to the pie, and since I have the whole berry can open, it's easy to pluck out a cranberry for the nose.

Reindeer Pie

Serves 6 to 8.

• 2 onions, diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil (about 1/4 cup)
• Salt and pepper
• 2 1/4 pounds ground beef (can use 1/2 sausage)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce or red wine (can use more tomato sauce instead)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 pounds potatoes (about 1 medium-large potato per person, plus 1 for the pot)
• 1/2 cup milk, warmed
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• Fresh nutmeg
• Salt and pepper

Put 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, carrots and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onions are barely golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Put the vegetables in a bowl and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Add the meat and brown it, breaking it up with a spoon or spatula.

Drain some of the fat if there seems to be a lot. Add the salt, some pepper, flour and thyme and combine well.

Add the vegetables, tomatoes, tomato sauce or wine, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. Cover partly with a lid and simmer for about an hour. (This may be done ahead of time and refrigerated for several days or frozen.)

Peel and cook the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain them and mash them with the milk, butter, a bit of nutmeg, salt and pepper.

Put the meat mixture (warmed if made ahead and chilled) in a 9-inch-by-13-inch baking pan and top with mashed potatoes. If everything is hot, put it in a 425-degree oven for about 10 minutes to brown the potatoes. If things are on the chilly side, put it in a 375-degree oven for about an hour.

Variations

For a vegetarian version, omit meat and add 3 additional cups chopped vegetables.

Use ground turkey or chicken instead of beef or combine the two.

Add 1/2 cup cranberry sauce, whole or jellied, for a bit of sweet/tartness.

Kim Davaz of Eugene writes the biweekly Eating In column.

Carl Davaz