Guinness Cottage Pie

Growing up, shepherd's pie was one of those meals that my mom used to make on a regular basis. It was never one of my favourites, and after I moved out on my own, it took me over a decade to even want to give it a try again. My husband and I love casseroles, and we love things made with beer, so we decided to give this Gordon Ramsay recipe a go. Needless to say, my opinion of this dish has changed immensely! And something I did not know - shepherd's pie is made with lamb, and the same dish with beef is cottage pie. Interesting!

I adapted this recipe a little, to make it less meaty and to add some vegetables. The original is fabulous, but a one-dish meal that has vegetables other than potatoes is important for feeding my kids.

This recipe is also a great way to use leftover roast beef, diced into 1/2" cubes, instead of ground beef. Substitute about 2 cups of cooked roast beef for the ground beef. In addition, if you have leftover gravy, warm it up (with some water to thin it if necessary) and substitute for some of the chicken stock. This substitution may change the stovetop cooking time, so watch your pan accordingly.

Guinness Cottage Pie
(adapted from Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food)

Olive oil
1 lb ground beef
salt and pepper
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 bottle (341mL) Guinness
5 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup frozen peas
2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
3 tbsp butter
1/4 cup finely grated cheddar
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper, and cook until nicely browned. Remove from pan and drain excess fat. Set aside.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and add sliced mushrooms. Shake pan so they are evenly distributed, reduce heat to medium and allow to cook 4-5 minutes without touching, until they are a nice golden brown underneath. Stir and continue to cook until mushrooms are nicely caramelized. Remove from pan & set aside.

Heat another tablespoon of oil, and cook onion until soft and beginning to brown. Add garlic and thyme, cook for another 30 seconds while stirring constantly to prevent burning. Add tomatoes, tomato paste & cooked ground beef, cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add Guinness and worcestershire sauce, simmer until liquid has reduced by half. Stir in chicken stock and let simmer until thick and glossy, about 25 minutes. Stir in corn, peas and reserved mushrooms. Remove from heat.

Cook potatoes in a pot of salted water until tender. Drain, return to pot and mash roughly with butter & cheddar cheese.

Spoon beef mixture into a 3-quart casserole dish. Top evenly with mashed potatoes, roughing up the top with a fork. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top, and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4-6

Maple Beer Ham with Sweet Hot Mustard

I realize that a lot of the recipes I post are not always the simplest meals, or the quickest to prepare. This one takes a long time to make, but most of that time is in a slow cooker! It's a great one to prep in the morning, or even the night before. The ham is absolutely delicious... it practically falls apart when it's done, and the maple & beer add a really amazing flavour to it. We make the biggest possible ham that will fit in our slow cooker, and use the leftovers to make ham sandwiches, or fry up some bigger chunks for a ham & egg breakfast. The sweet hot mustard is an adaptation of a recipe my grandmother passed on to me - mine's a bit spicier than hers is, though! It doesn't taste like much immediately, but develops a great flavour after a couple of hours.

Maple Beer Ham with Sweet Hot Mustard

Ham:
One bone-in ham, 3-7lbs
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 cups beer (nothing too pale or too dark, a nice medium brown beer is best)

Lay the sliced onions in the bottom of your slow cooker. Place the ham on top, season with salt & pepper.

In a bowl, whisk together maple syrup & mustard. Stir in beer, and pour over ham. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.


Sweet Hot Mustard:
1/2 cup flour
5 tbsp dry mustard
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tbsp water

Combine flour, mustard, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add vinegar and water, stirring into a smooth paste. Pour into a jar and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before using.

Peanut Butter Caramel Squares

Peanut butter cups are one of my all-time favourite candies, and a close second are those delicious, chewy Kraft caramel squares. This recipe combines the best of both worlds - a sweet and peanut-buttery base, a smooth, soft caramel middle and a bit of chocolate on top. They're also sinfully addictive... I've been eating them by the fistful for days. Usually 'out of sight, out of mind' works for me, but even hiding them hasn't helped the rate at which they're being devoured!

I suggest keeping these refrigerated, as the caramel is quite soft at room temperature, and such a thick layer will tend to ooze a little. They look a little funky if that happens, but are no less delicious!

Peanut Butter Caramel Squares

Peanut butter layer:
1 1/2 cups icing sugar, sifted
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup butter

Caramel layer:
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tbsp water

Chocolate layer:
1 cup chocolate chips
1 tbsp butter

In a bowl, mix together icing sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt together butter and peanut butter. Pour into dry ingredients, and stir until the mixture comes together and forms a ball. Press into a parchment-lined 9x9 pan and set aside.

To make the caramel layer, combine cream, butter, sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until mixture is smooth, then allow to boil untouched until it reaches 240F (soft ball stage) on a candy thermometer. Pour over peanut butter layer and let set for 20 minutes at room temperature, then place in the freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.

For the chocolate layer, melt together chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a boiling water bath. Spread over chilled caramel and let cool before cutting into 1" squares.