After thousands of bowls of chili and endless pots of care guisada, wouldn’t it be nice to have a new option for those Saturday afternoons watching football or an upcoming holiday meal? Enter Texas Style Shepherd’s Pie!

Granted, this shepherd’s pie takes several hours to make, but we promise it will be worth the wait.

This recipe is divided into two distinct cooking sessions: stewing and cooking vegetables. Stews always takes several hours of slow cooking to render a tender, savory dish. Vegetables can become mushy and flavorless if they are stewed over too long of a cooking time, so in this recipe, we stew the beef first, then add the chopped vegetables at the end for a short cooking time.

Ingredients

Stew (best when made one day in advance of serving):

• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 pounds of beef cubes for stewing
• 2 bottles of beer 
• 2 cups beef stock 
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Vegetable Filling:

• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups diced carrots (about 3 carrots)
• 3 chile poblano, roasted, peeled, and seeded, stems removed* (1 pound)
• 1 ear sweet corn, kernels removed
• 1 cup beef stock 
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Potato Topping:

• 2 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled, and cubed
• 2 ounces butter 
• 1 cup whole milk 
• Salt to taste
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• Minced cilantro or parsley for garnish

Instructions

Stew:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large 5 quart/5 liter Dutch oven or sauté pan with a lid. 
2. Add the onions and allow to sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. 
3. Add the garlic and sauté for 10 seconds. 
4. Add the beef cubes and sear over medium-high heat until well browned on all sides, about 7 minutes.
5. Add one bottle of beer, one cup of beef stock, and the bay leaves. 
6. Turn the heat down to a low flame and cover. Stew the beef for 2 to3 hours, until fork tender.
7. While the beef is stewing, add the remaining beer and beef stock when the level of liquid has reduced. If you need more liquid, simply add an extra cup of beef stock or water.
8. Season with salt and pepper.

(If you are making the stew one day in advance, allow the beef to cool to room temperature, transfer to a storage container, and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to prepare the rest of the meal. If you are making the beef stew and shepherd’s pie on the same day, continue with the recipe.)

Vegetable Filling

1. In a separate clean large skillet, heat the olive oil.
2. Add the chopped onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent.
3. Add the diced carrots, prepared chile poblano, and sweet corn kernels.
4. In a separate small bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour with 1 cup of beef stock. Blend until very smooth with no lumps.
5. Pour into the vegetable mixture and stir until thickened. Remove the pan from the heat. 
6. Combine the beef stew with the vegetable mixture and stir to combine well.
7. Return to the heat for a few minutes, so the stew thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Heat the broiler in your oven. 

Potato Topping

1. Meanwhile, prepare the potato topping by placing the cubed potatoes in a 2-quart/2-liter saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes.
2. When the potatoes are fork tender, remove them from the heat and drain the water.
3. Return the cooked potatoes to the saucepan and add the butter and milk.
4. Salt to taste and mash well using a potato masher. 

Assemble

1. Pour the beef stew and vegetables into a 2-quart ovenproof casserole dish.
2. Top with the mashed potatoes and garnish with cheddar cheese.
3. Place the dish under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until the mashed potatoes brown slightly.
4. Remove the casserole from the oven and garnish with minced cilantro or parsley. Serve immediately.

*Instead of fresh poblano chiles, you can substitute 8 ounces of canned mild green chiles.