A home-cooked favorite of bygone days gets a tad spiffed up in Houston chef Chris Shepherd’s new cookbook.
Chris Shepherd was named for the No. 1 chef in the world by Robb Report in 2019. We’re not going to disagree. The Houston chef has proved himself masterful and creative with everything he cooks up. On the humbler side is lamburger helper, a dish that riffs on the 1970s and ’80s favorite served at Shepherd's Georgia James steakhouse and featured in his cookbook, Cook Like a Local: Flavors That Can Change How You Cook And See the World, out now. Shepherd shares the recipe below.
Lamburger Helper
(Serves 8)
For the sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
¼ cup small-diced white onion
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons sambal oelek
1 tablespoon Crystal hot sauce
2½ cups shredded cheddar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the pasta
1 pound fusilli pasta
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound ground lamb
½ cup diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
1 tablespoon chile powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ cup diced tomato
1 cup white wine
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups shredded cheddar
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Make the cheese sauce: In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the garlic and onion, flour over. Cook for 3 minutes, until the onion and garlic smells fragrant and the flour is evenly coating the vegetables. Slowly whisk in the heavy cream, and bring to a simmer. Add the sambal and hot sauce, and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Make the pasta: In a large pot, bring 3 quarts water to a rolling boil and add 3 tablespoons salt. Add the pasta and cook until just under al dente, about 9 minutes, or few minutes under what the package directions tell you. Strain the pasta from the hot water, and run it under cold water to stop the cooking process.
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. When it is shimmering, add the lamb, spread it out to cover the pan, and cook undisturbed until browned, around 6 minutes. Stir in the onion and garlic, and continue cooking for 2 minutes, until slightly softened. Add the chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and oregano and cook for 3 minutes, until very aromatic. Add the tomatoes and wine and let simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated, about 10 minutes. Keep stirring so nothing sticks. When the liquid has reduced, remove the pan from the heat.
Mix the pasta and the lamb mixture together in a large bowl. Fold in the cheese sauce and 1 cup of cheese. Pour the mixture into a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish, and top with the remaining cheddar and the cherry tomatoes. Bake 35 – 40 minutes, until bubbly and golden-brown. Let it cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving big spoonfuls to all your friends.
Recipe reprinted and adapted with permission from Cook Like a Local: Flavors That Can Change How You Cook And See the World (Clarkson Potter, 2019) by Chris Shepherd and Kaitlyn Goalen. Purchase the book on Amazon.
Photography: Julie Soefer/Courtesy Underbelly Hospitality
From the October 2019 issue