Where the Goats and the Buffalo Roam

Previously I described how, buried under bags and bags of unexpectedly-sprouted organic russets, I was obliged to engage in an emergency boiling-and-mashing session.

Subsequently faced with something like four pounds of cold riced potatoes in the bottom of the fridge (an only slightly improved situation, it must be admitted), I decided to make Cottage Pie, which of course is just like Shepherds' Pie, except fabricated with beef instead of lamb (the Kid Squid is not a big fan of lamb and I live to serve his wishes, as has been remarked upon many times in the past). Off I toddled to the supermarket for the requisite protein.

I rarely buy beef, and probably have purchased it only once or twice since the onset of gluten-freedom a few months back. I may not have been paying much attention on those occasions, so I would fairly describe my attitude towards supermarket beef as out of touch. 

What did I discover to my chagrin? The only organic beef they had was from Paraguay!  Now, I am as admiring of those marvelously colorful gauchos as anybody possibly could be, and wish them well as they gallop around the pampas (or whatever the Paraguayan equivalent might be) with their lassos and large hats. I do not want to see them all out of work or forced to find employment in American jeans factories. But am I wrong to think that air transport of organic food (which is supposed to be about saving the planet, after all) from a faraway country rather defeats the purpose? (I make an exception for Hunza raisins, of course, which are a separate category all their own. I should be forced to protest noisily, placard in hand, in front of Pakistan's Embassy if they ever stop airlifting those little beauties to my local market.)

I seem to have lost the point. Oh yes, Paraguayan beef. Anyway, I searched for a somewhat more local equivalent and found ground organic bison from Colorado, which at least is on this continent. I bought two pounds and felt nobly principled.

I got it home and whipped up a fine main course, the recipe for which is heavily borrowed from Gordon Ramsay's famously delectable Shepherds' Pie. The only suitable red wine I had in the basement (stored next to my sprouting factory-farmed potatoes, which is where this whole saga began, ironically enough) was from the good folks at the Goats Do Roam winery in Paarl, heart of the sunny South African winelands.

I therefore christen this dish ...

Cape Buffalo Pie

• 2 pounds of ground bison
• 1 gigantic onion, chopped
• 4 regular-sized carrots, grated
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
• one and one-half tablespoons tomato puree
• thyme, a bay leaf, etc.
• a cup or so of red wine
• 1 to 2 cups of beef stock (does not need to be clarified)
• some corn starch (certified gluten-free, if you please)
• about one and one-half pounds of mashed potatoes, seasoned
• 2 egg yolks
• one quarter cup of grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Heat some olive oil in your biggest saute pan (I use my favorite straight-sided one for things like this and it always works a treat). Saute the bison, seasoned with salt, until it's brown and there are some crispy bits. Remove to a safe holding area with a slotted spoon.

Add the onions to the pan and saute them over low heat until they are very soft. Add the grated carrots and stir them around for a bit. Return the bison to the pan. Add your herbs of choice and cook it for a bit more.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, the tomato puree, and the wine: cook the mixture until it is very very thick and unctuous. Add the stock and cook it some more until it's reduced. If the sauce possesses insufficient body, remove some to a small bowl and thicken to a slurry with a few teaspoons of corn starch. Return that to the pan, stir it in, and assess your progress. You can always do it again if you have to: remember, nobody likes a watery Cape Buffalo Pie!

Check your final seasoning and add ground black pepper.

While your bison mixture is doing its thing, turn your attention to the potatoes. I heat them up a bit in the microwave at this point to make them easier to work with, but not too hot otherwise the eggs scramble, yuck. Beat the eggs and cheese into the mash.

Then, when your bison is gorgeously done and the kitchen smells amazing, pour your saucepan's contents into some sort of oven-proof dish. I had a nine-inch ceramic pie plate handy and used that. Spread the potatoes over the top, starting from the outside and working inwards, until every micron is covered and there is no way the sauce will bubble out all over your oven (just in case, it's a good idea to put a pan underneath when it's baking).

Bake at 400 deg F. until it's golden and wonderful.

Mine took about half an hour and would have fed six if we hadn't greedily gobbled it all ourselves.