My post for 30 June highlighted a pressure-cooker pot roast with potatoes. Given the size of the roast and the number of potatoes, we had enough leftover for at least one more meal. Of course, I could have simply re-heated them, but I wanted something a little different. It didn’t take too long before I decided to make shepherd’s pie.

I realize this dish is a popular way to use up leftover lamb, but I thought why not beef. Looking at recipes in cookbooks and on the net, I started to get ideas: peas and pearl onions for more flavor, broth for more moisture, flour and butter to thicken the sauce for a gravy; olive oil for whipping the potatoes to make the topping.

I took the leftover pot roast, about 3 or 4 cups, and chopped it roughly in a food processor, reserving the juices.

I peeled the leftover cooked Yukon Gold potatoes, about 6, seasoned them with a little salt and put them through a ricer. I then whipped the potatoes with a hand mixer, adding a little chicken broth and some olive oil until they were creamy.

In a large skillet, I melted a tablespoon of butter, to which I added a cup of frozen pearl onions, and a cup of frozen peas and carrots. I sautéed the vegetables until the onions were a light gold and then seasoned them lightly with some salt.

To the sautéed vegetables, I added the juices from the roast and scraped up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. I added the meat to reheat. After it reached a simmer, I pressed about a tablespoon of butter and the same amount of flour between my fingers to create a paste. I added as much of this to the pan stirring continuously until the sauce thickened some to become a gravy.

I transferred the contents of the sauté pan to a square baking dish and covered them with a thick, even layer of the mashed potatoes, which I sprinkled lightly with sweet paprika, mostly for color.

I baked the “pie” in a preheated 375° F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, and then placed it under the broiler to brown the crust for about 3 minutes.

We were more than pleased with the results; the flavors were richer and more varied than the original roast.

Wine Pairing: Zinfandel