Recipe of the Week: Go-to comfort foods

Comfort food is anything you want it to be, any time of year, although we tend to think of it more when the weather is chilly and damp, as it has been recently.

Maybe even a little more when the weather turns frigid.

If you like warm, gooey cheeses in sandwiches and dips, then that’s your go-to comfort food, no matter the weather. If tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich make you think of a happy childhood, then that could be yours. And if chocolate cheers you up when times are tough or the weather turns arctic, then that’s your source of edible comfort.

Of course, there are many other soups and desserts that qualify as comfort foods. And we can’t forget creamy pasta dishes, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, chicken pot pie, chicken stew, chicken and dumplings, French fries, French toast, chocolate chip cookies, and the queen of comfort foods, macaroni and cheese.

Maybe a cup of hot chocolate or glass of wine is all you need. But if you want your edible comfort to be a full meal, here is a quick recipe for shepherd’s pie from Rachael Ray at foodnetwork.com:

30-Minute Shepherd’s Pie

2 pounds potatoes, such as Russet, peeled and cubed

2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese

1 large egg yolk

½ cup cream; for a lighter version substitute vegetable or chicken broth

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (1 turn of the pan)

1 ¾ pounds ground beef or ground lamb

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup beef stock or broth

2 teaspoons Worcestershire (eyeball it)

½ cup frozen peas, a couple of handfuls

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.

2. While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy for 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.

3. Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular flameproof casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

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