Shepherd’s Stew with Dumplings

I came across this goody in my stack of untried soup recipes. It’s from the Food Network Kitchen’s The Chopped Cookbook: Use What You’ve Got to Cook Something Great. The recipe, a take on the classic Shepherd’s Pie*, says it takes 50 minutes to make, and that is about right. But contestants never get that much time on the Chopped TV show. Maybe the cookbook allows extra time for home cooks who are just as manic because we are making additional dishes.

I added a couple of Yukon Gold potatoes I needed to use up, and an extra cup of broth to make up for it. I skipped the handful of mint because it didn’t appeal to me. Perhaps that suggestion was there because of the option to use ground lamb.

I used rainbow carrots, but you might want to stick to orange to add a pop of needed color to the stew since otherwise it isn’t so pretty (thus the mint garnish?). Still, we enjoyed it quite a bit and really liked the use of gnocchi as dumplings.

Shepherd’s Stew with Dumplings

4 tbsp. unsalted butter (you can use half olive oil)

1 pound ground lamb or beef

Kosher salt and pepper

2 medium carrots, cut into thin coins

1 medium onion, diced (I used sweet)

4 good-sized sprigs of thyme

8 ounces white or baby bella mushrooms, quartered or sliced

(2 medium potatoes, halved and thinly sliced)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups chicken broth, extra if you add potato

1 (17.5-oz.) package potato gnocchi

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Melt 1 tbsp. butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat, 1/2 tsp. salt and a little pepper. Cook, breaking up meat, until lightly browned, 5 to 10  minutes. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon and keep drippings in pot.

Add the rest of the butter, the carrots, onions and thyme to the pot. Cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir for about a minute, until flour is toasted. Stir in the wine and simmer till absorbed, about 2 minutes.

Return the meat to the pot, add the broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until sauce thickens and everything is tender, about 15 minutes. Taste for seasonings and adjust. Stir in the gnocchi and cook till warmed through, about 3 more minutes.

Don’t forget to remove the thyme sprigs as you ladle out the stew. The leaves are stripped during the cooking process; a nice thyme, er, time saver.

*Actually, it’s Shepherd’s Pie when made with lamb, and Cottage Pie if made with beef, according to numerous Internet sources on English and Irish foods. I had cottage pie on a trip to Leed’s Castle in England years ago and wasn’t impressed. That’s why you should avoid tourist trap restaurants.