We are having friends over tonight. Not just for company, but also to say thank you for helping us with some storm clean up this past week.
I have ground lamb and ground beef thawed in the fridge. Originally I was going to make Shepherd's Pie tonight, as my mother (who lives with us) was going to be gone and she does NOT like lamb at ALL. Then her plans changed and she's going to be gone tomorrow night instead. So, now I've decided that I'm going to use the ground beef and make Cottage Pie instead. Other than the meat, the main difference in the way I make them is that I add parsnips to Cottage Pie and use a bit of red wine in the gravy. In Shepherd's Pie, I add mushrooms and do not use the wine as part of the gravy base. They both have the typical onions, carrots, peas, tomato paste... etc. etc.
But because it's a special occasion, I want to serve more than just the casserole as I normally do when it's just us. It's chock full of vegetables, so I don't want to make a side of veggies. It has a starch with the potatoes, so I'm not going to make bread to go with it. I thought a simple tossed salad might work even with it being so veggie intense. Other than that, I really can't think of a single other thing to serve with it.
Oh, and I'm planning on putting out a cheese plate (just got back from a road trip that took me through cheese-making country) with some fruit and crackers for before or after the meal. I'm not planning to make dessert as they have blood sugar issues and I'm trying to lose weight.
I have ground lamb and ground beef thawed in the fridge. Originally I was going to make Shepherd's Pie tonight, as my mother (who lives with us) was going to be gone and she does NOT like lamb at ALL. Then her plans changed and she's going to be gone tomorrow night instead. So, now I've decided that I'm going to use the ground beef and make Cottage Pie instead. Other than the meat, the main difference in the way I make them is that I add parsnips to Cottage Pie and use a bit of red wine in the gravy. In Shepherd's Pie, I add mushrooms and do not use the wine as part of the gravy base. They both have the typical onions, carrots, peas, tomato paste... etc. etc.
But because it's a special occasion, I want to serve more than just the casserole as I normally do when it's just us. It's chock full of vegetables, so I don't want to make a side of veggies. It has a starch with the potatoes, so I'm not going to make bread to go with it. I thought a simple tossed salad might work even with it being so veggie intense. Other than that, I really can't think of a single other thing to serve with it.
Oh, and I'm planning on putting out a cheese plate (just got back from a road trip that took me through cheese-making country) with some fruit and crackers for before or after the meal. I'm not planning to make dessert as they have blood sugar issues and I'm trying to lose weight.