MADE: Guinness Shepherd's Pie

I currently live in a city that is rainy and grey for most of the winter months. When I come home from a day that never got sunny, I just can't bear the thought of anything less than a blanket-like dinner in which to wrap myself (figuratively--don't worry) and forget the grim exterior conditions.

For inspiration, I figured I'd turn towards cuisine of similarly-climated locales, and shepherd's pie seemed like a no-brainer. If it's good enough to fortify soggy peasants in Ireland, then it can help me soldier on through the Seattle winter. Tossing in a portion of my leftover bottle of Guinness seemed like a logical addition, for similar reasons. (It turned out to be not only logical, but DELICIOUS as well--but I'm putting the cart before the horse. Perhaps several carts before several horses.)

Guinness Shepherd's Pie

Brown Sauce Filling
4 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 small onion, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp brown sugar
10 (or so) white mushrooms, chopped coarsely
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Guinness
1 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter into a skillet. On medium heat, caramelize the onions--stir in the salt and sugar to bring out the natural sugar of the onions themselves. Stir the onions occasionally, and if they begin to stick to the pan, add about 1/4 cup water and stir vigorously for about 30 seconds. This is called "deglazing," and it's one of my favorite science-cooking processes. (Second only to bechamel, which we'll get to in a minute...) Continue the stir/simmer/deglaze process for about 15 or 20 minutes, until the onions start to become darker brown and smell delicious. Then add the chopped mushrooms and stir, simmering until the mushrooms become a little softer, but not mushy.
Meanwhile, (probably while the onions are caramelizing, actually, since you'll be bored anyway) melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan. Once the butter is just beginning to sizzle, add 1/4 cup flour and whisk or stir rapidly, until thoroughly mixed. Then, quickly add the Guinness and 1 cup water, small bits at a time in alternation, stirring after each addition. (The Guinness will get all bubbly, so you don't want to add in too much at once.) Then, add the onion and mushroom mix to the sauce (which should at this point be delighting your nostrils with the decadent smell of beer and butter) and stir, adding in salt and pepper to taste.
This filling can also be made to include other vegetables (peas and carrots are common), as well as meat. If I'd had it, I probably would have thrown in ground beef or chunks of sausage at the mushroom phase. No such provisions were in my freezer at the time, unfortunately, but I'm sure they'd be delicious for you!

Potato Topping
5 or 6 large potatoes, washed and chopped into large chunks
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp cream
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese (I used mozzarella and cheddar.)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Boil potatoes in saucepan of water for about 15 minutes, or until tender. You should be able to poke a fork into a potato chunk and have it split in two. Drain almost all the water from the potatoes, but feel free to keep a little bit. Mash those spuds up with the butter and cream, adding in the garlic, nutmeg, salt, and pepper until the potatoes have reached (almost) optimum deliciousness.
Grease the bottom of a medium casserole dish. Layer in the Guinness-mushroom mixture, then spoon the potatoes on top in heaps, patting down to form a solid layer over the top. Sprinkle cheese over the whole thing, and toss into the oven for about 30 minutes, or until you're too hungry to wait anymore.
DEVOUR, while drinking the leftover Guinness.

MADE: Borough Market Raclette

A year ago, I was wandering through a rainy, blustery city, anxiously awaiting a reunion with my crazy family for my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving. To be sure, that's about exactly what I'm doing this year, except last year the blustery city was London, and my family made the trip across the pond to see me. (In case you were wondering--yes, it is possible to get a turkey for Thanksgiving in London. Most higher-end grocery stores bring in a stash for the invariable tourists and emigrés.)

During my time in London, one of my favorite traditions was a Saturday pilgrimage to Borough Market--the best market in London, in my opinion, because it is stuffed with food. Every week I'd go and wander around for an hour or so, feasting on free samples of cheese, bread, olive oil, chocolate, candied fruit, olives, and jam. I always felt a little like a storybook mouse or Dickensian orphan, furtively stuffing myself with tiny scraps of food. But who could blame me? It was delicious!

When it came to actually purchasing food at Borough Market, though, one dish stood out: Raclette at KAPPACASEIN. My dear roommate Laura and I shared a plateful on a couple of occasions, and spent blissful moments wallowing in cheese-induced happiness each time. (Laura jokes that she made a trip back to London specifically to satisfy a craving for it. She was probably kidding...) The dish itself was simple--potatoes, onions, and baby gherkins covered in bubbling, gooey raclette cheese--but the taste and the experience were delightful. Standing in a long line, huddled together with tourists and Southwark neighbors alike, watching gustatory craftsmen heat wheels of cheese under open flames until the point of maximum gooey goodness, then scraping the cheesy gob over a waiting plate of vegetables: Order up!

In Trader Joe's a week or so ago, I happened to spy a block of raclette and was immediately overwhelmed with waves of nostalgia. Without thinking twice, I bought it and brought it home for my own homage to those Saturday morning market rambles.

While I was cooking, I tried to pretend that I was in a tent in London, surrounded by bustling, jabbering crowds and myriad, tantalizing smells, sweating over an open flame with a big knife against a wheel of cheese larger than my head. I highly recommend this method of cooking fantasy--it really heightens the experience.

An Homage to Borough Market Raclette

3 or 4 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced into 1" chunks

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 tbsp. butter

Pinch sea salt

Splash of white wine vinegar

Freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

1/2 lb. Raclette

Boil potatoes in a pot of water until just tender, about 8 minutes (I like my potatoes on the crunchy side, but they at least need to be firm enough not to crumble away under a fork). Meanwhile, melt butter in a skillet. Add the pinch of sea salt and onion, sautéing lightly. After about 2 minutes, add a splash of white wine vinegar and continue to stir occasionally, cooking about 5 minutes total.

Once both are tender, remove potatoes and onions from heat. Strain potatoes and toss with onions, salt, and pepper, and serve on plates. (For an authentic Borough Market experience, grind salt and pepper over each plate. It might not add to the actual flavor, but in my head it did.)

In a nonstick skillet, heat raclette until it is melted, bubbly, and very gooey. Divide the gooey mess evenly over the servings. Consume with a good friend or two, preferably as you sit in the sun next to Southwark Cathedral. Although really, if you're sitting there, you might as well get a plate of the real stuff...

Note: I didn't use pickles in my recipe simply because I forgot to get them. I have another chunk of raclette in the fridge, so I'll probably be trying again soon. Next time, with pickles! (Not the title of my upcoming cookbook...)