serves 8
- 2 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 cloves garlic, cracked and peeled
- 1/4 c milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 c carrots, diced
- 1 c frozen peas
- 1/2 c fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces (or from a bag of frozen green beans)
- 1 1/2 c chopped cooked chicken or cooked white beans
- 1/3 c butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/3 c chopped onion
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 4 oz roughly chopped cremini mushrooms
- 1/3 c flour
- 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 c milk
- 3 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
- 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 375F.
In a pot, combine potatoes, rosemary sprigs and garlic. Add just enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil, lower the heat, partially cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender. Strain. Pull out the rosemary stems, adding any leaves back into the potatoes, and discard the stems. Place the potatoes, garlic and rosemary leaves back into the pot. Add 1/4 c milk. With a handheld mixer, whip the potatoes until smooth (about 1-2 minutes). Set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add carrots and fresh green beans (if using frozen green beans, don't add them now), and about 1/2 c water. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in peas (add frozen green beans now), and set aside.
In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Stir in garlic, onion, celery, and mushrooms. Saute 2-3 minutes, or until veggies are tender. Add sage, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium. Add flour and mix well; cook for about 30 seconds. Slowly add the broth and milk, stirring constantly (a wire whisk is handy here). Continue to stir over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and bubbly (the mixture will not splatter when dripped from the whisk back into the liquid).
Drain the the vegetables and place in a 2 qt baking dish. Stir in the chicken or beans (season with salt and pepper if desired).
Mix in the gravy. Top with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with Swiss cheese and parsley.
Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown and the filling is bubbly.
Original Chicken and Vegetable Shepherd's Pie Blog Post
