Should Have Told You Sooner: Jane Ward’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

The Fictional Addison Gallery’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

I grew up in a household where everyone cooked. My Scottish mother specialized in buttermilk griddle scones and traditional roast dinners complete with Yorkshire pudding, while my Italian father claimed the kitchen on the weekends for his braises and pasta sauces. Even I was encouraged to learn, first by watching and then by baking my way through my mother’s circa 1970s Fannie Farmer Cookbook. Because my childhood world centered on people feeding people, it’s no great surprise that when I graduated from college, I immediately found work in the food and hospitality industries. Also not surprising: an entire life spent around dinner tables led me to feature in my novels people who cook and bake, at home or as professions, with these activities serving as a reminder that the need for community and nourishment that food offers persists even when lives seem to be unraveling. In Should Have Told You Sooner, museum curator Noel Enfield’s life is in a bit of free-fall–she’s divorcing, and thousands of miles away from home on a work secondment in London when she meets Henry Bell, a young artist she’ll be working with, over lunch at her workplace cafeteria. Once settled at a table, Henry asks for something hot, stodgy, and preferably vegetarian. When Noel orders at the counter, she selects for him a version of this vegetarian shepherd’s pie, something I had in my mind because it is a favorite at our own house. In winter, I make it with lentils and mushrooms, but at the end of summer, when eggplant is in season, I make it this way.

-Jane Ward

 

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Servings

8 servings

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Print Recipe

Should Have Told You Sooner: Jane Ward’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

This dish is meant to be prepared right before serving. To make ahead, follow steps one and two, but then transfer the eggplant mixture to a buttered oven-proof pie dish. Spread potatoes evenly over the eggplant mixture, cover the top with foil, and refrigerate. When ready to eat, preheat oven to 325 degrees, remove the foil, and bake the pie for 30-40 minutes or until heated through. Switch the oven setting to broil and brown the potato topping until golden, 2 or 3 minutes. Top with parsley and serve.

  • 2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks of approximately the same size
  • ½ cup whole milk, warmed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt , plus more for finishing
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped to medium dice
  • 2 carrots, chopped to medium dice
  • 2 medium eggplants, trimmed, peeled, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • (1) 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with liquid
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
  • Ground back pepper, to taste
  1. Place potatoes and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until very tender, about 15-20 minutes. Check for doneness by piercing the potatoes with a fork. Drain when potatoes are soft.
  2. Return potatoes to the warm pot along with 2 tablespoons butter; mash by hand with a potato masher, adding warmed milk a little at a time until potatoes area fluffy.. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with pot lid and set aside.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté diced onions and carrots, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to become tender, about 10 minutes. Add the eggplant cubes and continue sautéing the vegetable mixture until the eggplant softens and begins to turn lightly golden brown on the edges. Stir in the tomatoes and their liquid, tomato paste, parsley, a good grind of pepper, and a couple of pinches of salt; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 15 minutes. If it starts to look too dry, you may add some water or vegetable stock. In the end, the eggplant should be soft but retain some shape. Taste and correct seasoning with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Cover and keep warm.
  4. Preheat broiler with rack 5 or 6 inches from the heat source. Spread potatoes evenly over the eggplant mixture. Broil until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Top with more chopped parsley to serve.

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