Summer Cottage Pie

Many people have heard of Shepherd's Pie, but while looking around the internets yesterday for inspiration, I learned something. Technically, it's only Shepherd's Pie if it contains lamb or goat, otherwise it is Cottage Pie. So, that cleared up, you may be wondering why I'm making Cottage Pie in August. The fact is this: we have such freaking bounty from our CSA (denoted by *) that I was just looking for something that would use a lot of our spoils. Mission: deliciously accomplished. I served this with a side of spicy, garlicky sautéed chard, also from our CSA. (PS sorry I didn't get a picture. Trust me though, it's awesome.)

• 8-10 medium yukon gold potatoes*, peeled, large diced
• 2 ears fresh sweet corn*
• 3-4 small/medium carrots*, peeled, small diced
• 2 medium turnips*, chopped into 1/2" cubes
• 2 medium spring onions* separated, whites: thinly sliced half rounds, greens: rough chopped
• 5-6 brown button mushrooms, diced
• 1 cup frozen (or fresh) peas
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley*,  finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter (I always use unsalted)
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups veggie stock, separated (1/2 c and 1 c)
• freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt, to taste

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2) Bring potatoes to a boil in salted water over high heat. Once the potatoes get to boiling, slip the whole ears of corn in there. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain. Using a sharp knife and downward strokes, cut the kernels off the corn.

3) While the potatoes are doing their thing, brown the beef in a large flat bottomed skillet. Season with the cumin, cayenne, crushed red pepper, as well as salt and pepper. When it's cooked, move the meat to a bowl and return the skillet to the heat.

4) Add olive oil to pan. Sauté garlic and onions for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Add carrots and turnips. Sauté another 6-7 minutes. Add mushrooms, corn, and peas. Cook another 5 minutes. (If at any point things start to stick, add a little more olive oil.) Mix in beef, parsley, and 1 cup of veggie stock. Remove from heat. Season with salt/pepper to taste.

5) To the drained potatoes add the butter, milk, and 1/2 cup veggie stock. Mash thoroughly. Mix in the green part of the onions.

6) Dump the meat and veggie mixture into a 13 x 9" glass baking dish and smooth out to even thickness. Spread the mashed potatoes on top, as evenly as you can. (If you wanted, you could sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar on here.) Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the top starts to get golden brown.

Potato and Turnip Salad with Spring Onions

Today's dish is pretty exciting to me because almost all of it came from our CSA. (Anything with a * is CSA!) I saw Struggles' roomie cooking something similar the other night and was feeling inspired. A note about the onions: When I say "spring onions" I mean something like this. You could also use regular green onions in combination with shallots, I should think. We ate this still warm, but I'm presently munching on it straight from the fridge for lunch and I'm pretty pleased with it as a new take on potato salad. Turnips, even cooked, have a distinct mouthfeel from the potatoes. The onions are alternately sweet and crunchy, on account of adding the different sections at different times. Oh, and the picture below is from the leftover stage, as I forgot to take a pic when it was hot and fresh. Struggles ended up adding more dijon when serving for himself, but I kinda dig the more subtle flavor from the original amount. Don't be afraid to add more if you want!

• 5 medium red potatoes*, cut into 3/4" - 1" pieces
• 2 large turnips*, diced into 1/2" cubes
• 5-6 spring onions*, diced, whites/purples separated from greens
• 3-4 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/4 cup parsley*, rough chopped
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard, possibly more to taste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

1) Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain.

2) Whisk the olive oil and mustard together. Toss the potatoes in this. Set aside.

3) In a large flat-bottomed skillet, melt the butter. Add the turnips and sauté over medium heat until they are nearly fork tender.

4) Add the white part of the onions and the garlic. Sauté for another 5 minutes, until the onions are getting translucent. Dump in the potatoes.

5) Add the green part of the onions and the parsley. Sauté for another 3-5 minutes, until everything is warm, but the green onions haven't lost their crunch. Salt & pepper to taste.