Basically Friday: Shepherds' Pie

After all that trouble figuring out the roots of All Blue potatoes (pun intended), I thought I might have a bit more success discovering where shepherds' pie comes from. Why care? Well, Sarah made an excellent "cottage pie" on Sunday, and the question arose about what, if anything, was the difference.

History: There is quite a bit of information on the origin of these ubiquitous pies, which originally hail from England.  The first mention of cottage pie dates back to 1791, when potatoes first began to be used on a widespread basis in England.  From the beginning, this was associated with the peasants, also called cotters, who were allowed to live in a little hut on the master's land in exchanges for work.  These huts were called cottages and the rest is history...  As for shepherds' pie, this is of more recent vintage, sometime in the 1870's.  The original meaning, it would seem, is a cottage pie that contains lamb or mutton, as opposed to beef or any other meat.  Which makes sense!

How They're Made: These savory pies are made of two simple layers: 1) a meat layer on the bottom, which is mixed with sauteed savory vegetables, and 2) a layer of mashed potatoes.  Some versions have the mashed potatoes lining the sides of the casserole dish as well.  A New England variant adds corn into the mix, traditionally creamed corn. The meat is typically left-over or cheaper cuts which are minced and browned. The whole thing goes into the oven at the end to get a crispy crust.

Recipe Ideas: Foodista has 31 recipes to get you started. This includes a few vegetarian versions for you sticklers!

Relevant Blog: One Perfect Bite: This is one neat looking variant of cottage pie.

Bottom Line: I'm partial to the New England version, with an extra layer of corn - but that will have to wait until July or so.  In the meantime, don't be sheepish and try your hand at a cottage pie tonight!

References: 
1. Wikipedia
2. Image of a cottage pie (with corn) from Flickr Creative Commons