Mexican Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Ah, jolly ole England. The country that has given us The Beatles, Cadbury eggs, and our obsession with William and Kate (or, tbh, the entire Royal family). They have also graced our palettes with amazing delicacies that were created and originated in these parts, like fish and chips and Yorkshire pudding. We can also thank the English for the ultimate combo of meat and carbs that is Shepherd's pie, also referred to as cottage pie. Whatever the variation, the basic combination is comprised of ground meat that is cooked in a sauce or gravy with vegetables and then layered with mashed potatoes before baking. A quintessential comfort food, it is both inexpensive and an easy way to repurpose leftovers.

Cinco De Mayo may be a longways away, but we're getting our fiesta on with this unique take on the classic British dish. Cyndi Sterne is a chef and owner of Yes, Chef! Culinary Events based in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Sterne heads the culinary space that hosts everything from corporate team-building outings and private events, to chef driven pop ups and has even spread to the digital space in recent times. She also happens to have put a spin on the traditional European dish with her Mexican shepherd's pie. This dish has all the good comfort factors you want, with the taco night flavors you crave. 

While the potatoes are cooking, you can begin preparation of the filling. Place the vegetable oil into a 12-inch sauté pan and set it over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions, peppers, zucchini, and corn. Sauté until they have softened and reached a golden hue. Based on your stovetop, this should take approximately five to seven minutes. Once they have cooked, you can add the drained black beans to the mixture. Whatever beans you have on hand would also work. Remove the mixture from heat and transfer it to a bowl.

It's important to note that you shouldn't feel limited by these vegetables. Sterne suggests that "you can be as adventurous as you want. Chop up a poblano pepper. You can make it more succotash style with corn and lima beans." This recipe is all about using what's in your pantry and available. 

Now it's time to make the sauce that will bring all of this together. Utilizing the same pan you used for the veggies and the meat (yay! less dishes), add the butter to the pan and let it melt. While whisking, begin sprinkling the flour over the melting butter. Clumps are totally normal at this step, so don't freak out when it all start to stick together! Next, add a quarter cup of broth and whisk until it's smooth and becomes thickened. In small increments, add the rest of the broth and continue to whisk. Sterne suggests that slow and steady wins the race here — adding too much broth at once will make it a lot for difficult to get rid of the clumps. 

Once the sauce for your shepherd's pie has reached the desired level of thickness, it's time to bulk it up. Add the previously cooked meat and vegetable mixture back to the sauce. Mix it all together until it's well-blended, and continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until all of the ingredients are warmed through. 

Now would be a good time to adjust the seasoning to your liking by giving it a quick taste and adding more salt or pepper as needed. If it hasn't reached your desired level of spice, you could also add more ancho here — or more taco seasoning if you want the spice but not the heat. 

Now's the time to put your finishing touch on this dish, the cheese. Sprinkle cheese evenly and generously (as generously as you want, there's no such thing as too much cheese!) over the mashed potatoes. Pop it into your preheated oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. 

You're going to want to keep an eye on the dish as it bakes, and wait for it to start to bubble. That's your signal that's it's warmed throughout. You'll also need to keep on eye on the cheese — you want it melted and browned, but not burnt. When it's finsihed cooking, remove it from the oven, and let sit out approximately 15 minutes before serving so it can firm up. It'll be hard to wait to dig into it once it's sitting on the counter, but those extra minutes help ensure it's cool enough to eat — and that it keeps its shape when it's served.