Aside from name recognition, I chose Le Pigeon: Cooking at the Dirty Bird because of the book’s breadth and its initially charming, conversational tone. One recipe is titled Avocado Salsa (No, This Is Not Guacamole) – which is kind of cute. And then you read the “Love Letter to Plymouth Valiants,” bro-ing up the middle of the cookbook. Not so cute. Then you notice the In Foie Gras We Trust seal, sporting a goose with a funnel shoved in its mouth. Yuck.
However, if you can get past its Portland cool-kid bravado, the book is pleasantly readable. These people know what they’re doing. They run the gamut of proteins with dishes at a range of complexity from simple roasted pork loin to a beef cheek Bourguignon that would make Julia Child roll up her sleeves – all with clear directions for home cooks.
I made the lamb shepherd’s pie because I love lamb chili, and it sounded simple enough with big flavor payoff. But shepherd’s pie is one of those deceptive dishes that sounds quick and easy, but is actually kind of annoying. It looks like a one-pot meal, but it destroyed my kitchen. Luckily, after preparing the vegetables, sauteing stuff, making a slurry, blooming spices in warm cream, mashing potatoes and so on, it tasted pretty good. I would have liked for it to taste very good, coming from Le Pigeon and dirtying so many dishes, but it’s hard to argue when you still finish all the leftovers.
Skill level: Moderate. You can find a simple recipe, but some get pretty intense. However, the recipes are so well written that it’s a good book to try stretching your cooking skills.
This book is for: Bros in the kitchen or people who enjoy reading about bros in the kitchen
Other recipes to try: Duck breast, goat cheese pierogi; simple roast pork loin
The verdict: It was good, but not good enough to beat Battersby’s elegant pasta from last week.
Lamb Shepherd’s Pie, Curry Mash
4 to 6 servings
Kosher salt
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground lamb
1 cup diced yellow onion
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. curry powder
¼ cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
1½ lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs, lightly beaten
• Prepare an ice water bath. Over high heat, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the peas and blanch for 1 minute. Using a spider or large slotted spoon, transfer the peas to the ice water bath and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the peas and pat dry; set aside.
• In a saute pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the lamb and saute, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. Using a slotted spoon, remove the lamb from the pan, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the onion, carrots, tomato paste, oregano and garlic. Add 1½ teaspoons of the curry powder and season with a pinch of salt. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the white wine and continue to cook until the liquid has reduced to about 1 tablespoon, 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the stock and bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the cornstarch, vinegar and 2 teaspoons of water. We’re forming a thick paste here, called a slurry. Add the slurry to the vegetable mixture along with the browned lamb and the peas. Cook for 4 minutes longer; it should thicken quite a bit. Spread this mixture in the bottom of a 9-inch-square baking dish, smoothing it out with a spatula.
• Onto the potatoes: To a large pot of heavily salted water, add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes give no resistance when pierced with a knife, 10 to 12 minutes.
• While potatoes are cooking, in a small saucepan over low heat, warm the cream and the remaining 1½ teaspoons curry powder to let the flavor of the curry bloom, about 6 minutes.
• Using a colander, drain the potatoes. If you have a ricer, push the potatoes through the ricer back into the pot. If not, return the potatoes to the pot and mash using a potato masher. Add the cream, butter and eggs. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine and season to taste with salt.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a spatula, evenly spread the potatoes over the lamb layer. Bake for 20 minutes, turning the heat up to broil for the last 5 minutes to get nice and brown potatoes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving family-style.
Reprinted with permission from 10 Speed Press
This article appears in March 2016.