shepherds-pie-200x150.jpgFor Penelope, having Humble Pie at Serendipity was almost as guilty a pleasure as watching daytime TV. Not that there’s anything wrong with All My Children, and strike her dead if she ever meant to diss Oprah, and certainly not Ellen, but the universe must have been a little annoyed with her for not attempting to reverse her metabolism at the gym, because just as she was taking the first bite of her peanut butter ice cream pie, who should she see across the dining room but her hygienically challenged British ex-boyfriend, who actually made pretty good pie in spite of his kitchen being a bother because his refrigerator light was always broken. Although the darkness was kind of a blessing considering the unidentifiable condiments that, like Nigel, remained in residence way past their official end date.

“Penelope, is that you?” he bellowed, very un-British like from four tables away, before coming over and sitting down.

“Swallowing,” she said, pointing to the peanut butter intervention in progress.

“Well, we’re quite the calorie hound today. Difficult times, eh? What is it you’re having?”

“Humble Pie,” she said, turning slightly to look thinner. “You should try some.”

“Oh no,” he said, “I’m just here for some tea. My wife is making Shepherd’s pie for dinner.”

The (living) End.

It’s kind of weird to call Shepherd’s pie a pie since it has no bottom crust and mashed potatoes for the top crust. But what can you expect from people who have no lights in their refrigerators? They might not even know there’s no crust, considering how dark it is in the kitchen. In fact, when Penelope went to Nigel’s mother’s house in London, her refrigerator light didn’t work either. Even a monarchy can take heredity too far.

The Mashed Potatoes

  1. 2 large boiling potatoes
  2. 2 tbs unsalted butter
  3. ½ tsp salt
  4. pinch grated nutmeg
  5. freshly ground pepper, to taste

Peel and quarter the potatoes

Put in a medium saucepan and cover with a few inches of cold water and add the salt

Boil for 20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a sharp knife

Drain the potatoes thoroughly and mash, or press through a ricer or sieve

Stir in the butter

Whisk in the salt, nutmeg and pepper

The Filling

  1. 1½ tbs all purpose flour
  2. 1 tsp salt
  3. ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  4. pinch cayenne pepper
  5. 3 lbs lamb shanks, cut into 3 inch pieces
  6. 1½ tbs olive oil, divided
  7. ½ cup celery, chopped
  8. 1 tsp garlic, minced
  9. ¾ cup water
  10. 12 pitted prunes

In a gallon size freezer bag, combine the flour, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper

Shake to mix

Add a few pieces of lamb at a time and toss to coat with the flour, set aside

Heat a heavy frying pan until hot

Heat one tbs of the oil

Add only as much lamb as will fit in a single layer and brown over medium-high heat, turning occasionally until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes

Remove the lamb to a bowl and set aside

In the same pan, heat the remaining ½ tsp of oil

Saute the onion and celery until they’re golden brown

Sprinkle on the remaining flour mixture, stir in the garlic and cook, stirring for about 30 seconds

Add the prunes and cook everything for about 30 minutes, or until the lamb is falling off the bone

Remove the lamb, vegetables and prunes to a large platter to cool

Tilt the pot and skim off the fat from the gravy

Over medium-high heat, boil down the gravy to 2/3 cup, transfer to a medium bowl

Preheat the oven to 425°

Spoon the meat mixture into a pie pan

Cover with a smooth, even layer of the mashed potatoes

Bake for 10 minutes

Turn the oven to broil, and place the pie under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the mashed potatoes are golden