The Comfort Dish Keith Richards Always Had To Eat Before Taking The Stage

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Founding Rolling Stones member Keith Richards is known as one of the best guitarists of all time, and like many superstars, he has a solid pre-show routine that he follows to get him in the right headspace before he takes the stage. What gets Richards in the right headspace isn't what you might expect, however, as it's not a specific type of drink or candy. Instead, Richards prefers straight-up comfort food in the form of a freshly baked shepherd's pie, a traditional Irish dish that dates back to the 1700s.

Legend has it that Richards has been enjoying a pre-show shepherd's pie since 1989, when the Stones embarked on their worldwide "Steel Wheels" tour. The dish is simple; a base of seasoned ground beef and vegetables is topped with a layer of mashed potatoes, which is baked until the spuds become slightly crispy. According to "Steel Wheels" lore, on the third night of their tour, Richards found that someone else dug into his shepherd's pie before he got the chance to give it a try himself. He refused to take the stage in front of the Toronto crowd until the catering staff made him a new pre-show meal. 

Richards loves his shepherd's pie so much that he even discussed it in his autobiography, "Life." He specifically talked about how important it is that he's the first one to dig into the fresh potato crust. "Nobody touches the shepherd's pie till I've been in there," Richards wrote. "Don't bust my crust, baby."

According to Keith Richards, the key to a great shepherd's pie is all about the onions. In his autobiography, he wrote that the onions included in the meat filling get too cooked down, perhaps to the point where they don't add a ton of flavor, so he likes to add another layer of uncooked onions between the meat and the potatoes. The onions soften slightly as the shepherd's pie cooks, creating a bit of extra bite. Richards noted that his bodyguard, known as Big Joe Seabrook, gave him the onion tip.

Ramping up the onions isn't the only way to cook an unforgettable shepherd's pie. Try adding some unexpected seasonings, like Dijon mustard or brown sugar, to create a bright, sweet dish that slightly veers from the traditional recipe without completely transforming the dish. You might also want to think about switching up the type of meat you use in a shepherd's pie. While many recipes stick with beef, Gordon Ramsay's secret to the best shepherd's pie is using lamb. If you're looking for a plant-based alternative, you can also try making a vegetarian shepherd's pie with lentils or mushrooms in place of meat.