Lobster Shepherd’s Pie

By CheeseDiva

Ingredients

• 2 lb. russet potatoes, scrubbed, pricked all over with a fork
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1 ½ lb. lobster tails, meat removed from shells and cut into 2" pieces, shells broken into 2" pieces
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled, halved through root end
• 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
• 2 celery stalks, halved crosswise
• 1 medium carrot, peeled, cut on a diagonal into 2" pieces, divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 cup half-and-half
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large egg yolks
• ¼ cup chopped dill
• 2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
• Potatoes and Stock
• Assembly¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter8 oz. pearl onions, peeled3 medium carrots, peeled, cut on a diagonal into 2" pieces¼ cup all-purpose flour½ cup half-and-halfKosher salt, freshly ground pepperFlaky sea salt

Details

Adapted from bonappetit.com

Preparation

Step 1

Potatoes and Stock
Place a rack in top-most position of oven; preheat to 400°. Roast potatoes directly on rack until tender, 60–70 minutes. Let sit until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a large saucepan over medium-high until melted and foaming. Add lobster shells and cook, stirring often, until bright red, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it starts to brown and stick to pot, about 1 minute. Add wine and cook, scraping up browned bits, until almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add yellow onion, garlic, celery, carrot, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 4 cups water. Toss in a generous pinch of kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium-high. Reduce heat and simmer briskly until liquid is reduced by two-thirds, 50–60 minutes. Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring glass; discard solids. (You should have about 1½ cups.)
While potatoes are cooling, warm half-and-half and remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan over low heat just to melt butter. Split potatoes lengthwise and scoop flesh into half-and-half mixture. Smash with a potato masher until mixture is smooth and lump-free; season generously with kosher salt and pepper. Remove from heat and mix in egg yolks, dill, and horseradish; cover with plastic wrap.AssemblyMelt butter in a clean large saucepan over medium. Add pearl onions and carrots and cook, stirring, until onions start to turn translucent, 5–8 minutes. Sprinkle flour over; stir to combine. Cook, stirring, until flour leaves a film on the bottom of the pot, about 4 minutes. Stirring constantly, gradually stream in stock, then bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in half-and-half; season sauce with kosher salt and pepper. Let cool slightly. Arrange lobster pieces in a shallow 1½-qt. baking dish and ladle sauce over. Dollop mashed potatoes on top and use the back of the spoon to spread across surface, creating decorative swirls. Sprinkle with sea salt. Bake on a foil-lined baking sheet until lobster is cooked through and filling is bubbling around the edges, 20–25 minutes. Turn on broiler and broil pie just until topping is browned in spots, about 1 minute. Let rest 5–10 minutes before serving. Do Ahead:
Pie can be assembled 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and uncover before baking.