Chris and I were housebound all of last week due to Hurricane Sandy, and while we were safe and snug, not being able to leave easily for grocery runs put a bit of a strain on our food supply situation.
One of the nights after the storm, we walked up to our local pub for some burgers. The usually packed, lively neighborhood place was "cash only" for the night and warmly lit with Christmas lights. The chef greeted us at the front door -- he was grilling everything on a huge outdoor charcoal grill. The smell of gasoline and the hum of the two generators in the back mixed with the tired voices of our neighbors -- some didn't have power or heat, some were visitors who came north from the ruined Jersey Shore and were staying with family. Others were a little stir crazy--with kids out of school, their patience wearing thin. But, the burgers were cooked perfectly, the butternut soup was hot (even if it was served in a paper bowl with a plastic spoon), and the beers were cold. We were happy to support our local restaurant, but, with trees down all around and power still out for most of the town, it wasn't a night to linger. We hurried back home to our warm, quiet nest -- thankful to be safe and content to be at home together.
Obviously, not much else was open nearby, and with a gas shortage, we weren't going to go out to eat every night during our Hurricane Hiatus. The next evening, I took stock of what I had to work with: lots of thyme, tarragon and parsley in my herb garden; mild Italian sausage, cooked/diced beets, raw/chopped spaghetti squash and a bag of peas in the freezer; butter, white wine, chicken stock and a container of strained tomatoes in the fridge; and apples, potatoes, onions and garlic in the pantry.
I pulled everything out onto the counter and took a good long look. It looked like...Shepherd's Pie. So I threw one together. It's one of those dishes where you don't need to follow an actual recipe -- just choose ingredients that go well together and go for it.
xoxo