Surfing, Jackie Onassis, Diana Vreeland, and Shepherd's Pie! And, Yes, I can link them.

First a bit about surfing. Trying something new can often be a good thing, even if at first it may seem somewhat intimidating.  Like a new surf spot. This past weekend, after too many days of not being able to get in the water because of rain and then bigger swells than are good for me, things finally backed down. Unfortunately they backed down a little too much. When I got to my spot at Tower 26, the ocean was just completely flat. I mean, really flat! I headed down to Tower 24, where a couple of guys on boards were trying to catch some waves, but they were having no luck at all. So the day was looking like it might be a wash. Until I pulled out my phone to check Surfline and reports for Malibu and other spots. Venice seemed to be slightly better and was closer so I headed a bit south. Sure enough, just north of the Venice Pier some nice small waves were rolling in. There was a few other mellow day surfers already there when I paddled out, and I wound up having a blast on these little waves. Later that night we had Shepherd's Pie for dinner, which was made from leftover Roast Beef from Christmas Night dinner. Here it is:

What does legendary style maven and magazine editor Diana Vreeland have to do with surfing and Shepherd's Pie? Well take a look at this!

https://youtu.be/3wRmpc-Fh3o

Not only did Vreeland love surfers, but she thought skateboarders were great too. GREAT!!

So there's Vreeland. Did you know Diana Vreeland and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis were very dear friends? Well, they were, and one thing that Mrs. Vreeland would like to eat when she came to Mrs. Onassis's for dinner was Shepherd's Pie. This fact was picked up in a book called "Cooking For Madam," by Marta Sgubin, who was Mrs. Onassis's longtime cook. So the next time you find yourself with leftover roast (it could be beef, or lamb, or even chicken or turkey), make a Shepherd's Pie. Here's how:

Shepherd's Pie
(Recipe adapted from Marta Sgubin's "Cooking For Madam")
Serves 6

3-4 cups cooked roast beef or lamb (or turkey or chicken)
3 tbsps. butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tbsps. flour
1 3/4 to 2 cups beef stock (or chicken if you're going poultry)
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
*note: if you have leftover vegetables you can throw them in too. I had a cup or so of cooked green beans, which worked really well. Just fold them into the sauce with the meat.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Finely chop the meat and set aside.  Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and saute until tender and translucent, about five minutes.  Add garlic.  Saute 30 seconds more. Sprinkle in flour and stir, without browning, about two minutes, until flour is blended in. Slowly pour in stock and whisk. Bring to simmer and cook, whisking, until thickened about two or three minutes. Fold the chopped meat into the sauce. Season well with salt and fresh ground pepper.
2. Spoon the mixture into a two quart oven proof casserole. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top. Use a fork to rake a design into the potatoes. Dot with more butter if you like.
3. Place the dish on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the potatoes are browned and starting to crisp.

Mashed Potatoes

2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

2 tbsps. butter

1 tbsp. horseradish

Salt and Fresh ground pepper

About 1 cup milk

1. Place potatoes in medium pot and cover with cold salted water. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer potatoes until very tender, about 20 minutes. 
2. Drain potatoes and toss butter into the pot, along with horseradish and salt and pepper. Using a potato masher (or a ricer if you want a really find texture) mash the potatoes well.  Now start adding in milk, starting with about 1/2 cup. If the potatoes seem dry, add more milk, up to about a cup, until you reach a nice soft and smooth consistency.  Taste again for salt and pepper.

As always if you're looking for a good read, please also check out and pre-order my novel "Women Like Us" on Inkshares.  Here's that link:

https://www.inkshares.com/projects/women-like-us?referral_code=68914607