Easy Traditional Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
The Perfect Spring Meal
Shepards pie or cottage pie as some may call it is not your typical “pie”. There is no crust but there is a savory stew covered in fluffy mashed potatoes and baked until golden brown! I always have to have one every year on St Patrick’s Day with a Guinness (or 5). This pie is traditionally made with ground lamb, but if you have issues sourcing it locally then you can also use ground beef.
The great thing about this easy shepherd’s pie recipe is that you can substitute the ground meat for almost any ground meat. The most traditional shepherd’s pie would be lamb, but I have made this with turkey in the past based on my dietary restrictions. Some spices may need to be changed based on your meat mixture but you can feel free to keep it all the same!
Not Your Grandma’s Casserole!
There are also a million ways to do the potatoes. We used a blender to make things quick but you can use a potato masher, potato ricer, or even boxed mashed potatoes! As always, you do you! We also decided to add some of our Easy Garlic Confit Recipe into our mashed potatoes for a little extra flavor.
We use Yokon Gold potatoes to make our quick and easy mashed potatoes. The boiled potatoes can be added to a food processor (we love this one) with some sour cream, butter, and heavy cream. Mix on high speed until it is all smooth using a rubber spatula to scrap down the sides a few times and blending again. Leftover mashed potatoes would also be really good here since you have to pop them in the oven at the end anyway.
Shepherd’s Pie is Comfort Food!
I almost consider Shepherd’s Pie a sort of stew. The start of the recipe is similar and you just finish it a different way. Start with a heavy bottom saute pan. You can also use a Dutch oven here but just make sure whatever you use has high sides.
Over medium heat add a tablespoon of olive oil and begin to brown your ground lamb. Lamb is a lean meat so you will have to add a bit of fat for the cooking process. Once browned you are going to remove your lamb and start making your savory sauce. Add your second tablespoon of olive oil and start to sweat your onions and brown your garlic. This is going to get put in the oven so it does not need to be totally cooked.
The item that I think most people overlook is toasting their tomato paste. Tomato paste is already a very concentrated tomato flavor, but toasting it adds a deeper level of flavor and complexity. To deglaze the pan after this process you put your beef broth and Worcestershire sauce into the saute pan. It is also common to use red wine to deglaze the pan but I prefer beef broth. If you only have chicken broth you can also use that.
Time to bake your Shepherd’s Pie!
Finally, it is time to add some vegetables and bake! Add a 12-ounce package of frozen peas and carrots plus all your herbs and seasonings into your rich gravy and heat through. I add a bit of flour here (maybe a tablespoon) to thicken the mixture. Leave this to simmer until your meat mixture resembles a thick gravy.
Once your mixture is thick transfer it to a large casserole dish or baking dish. There should be enough mixture to cover the bottom. Use you mashed potatoes to spread a thin layer over top of the meat mixture. You want to make sure that you cover all the mixture and seal the edges. You can choose to put a fancy design in the top of the potatoes with a fork but I am not sure who has time for that.
Top with shredded Irish cheddar cheese (can you substitute parmesan cheese) and bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. You will know it is done when the gravy starts to bubble around the edges. Using a large metal spatula cut a piece from your casserole and serve!
Store your Shepherd’s Pie
I have to say that sometimes this is better the next day! It allows the flavors to mix together and become a little bit more robust. Once the casserole is at room temperature you can cover it with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also choose to move this to an airtight container and store it.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil seperated
- 1 lb ground lamb or ground beef
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can tomato paste small
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried parsely
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 12 ounces frozen peas and carrots
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 cups garlic mashed potatoes
- 1/4 cup Dubliner cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- In a deep skillet over medium heat add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once heated add you ground lamb and cook until brown.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 lb ground lamb
- Remove your ground lamb from the skillet and add remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Once heated through add your onion and garlic to the saute pan and cook for about 3 minutes.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 cup yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Next add your tomato paste to the pan and toast until the red color is a little deeper and you can smell the tomato.1 can tomato paste
- Once your tomato paste is toasted it is time to deglaze the pan. Turning the heat down to medium add your beef broth and worcestershire and bring them to a simmer.1 tablespoon worcestershire, 1 cup beef broth
- When your mixture is simmer add in your peas, carrots, herbs and seasonings. Next add in your flour slowly until your mixture is at your desired thickness. I usually add a little, allow the mixture to reduce a bit and then add more if needed.1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon dried parsely, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, salt and black pepper to taste, 12 ounces frozen peas and carrots, 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- Once thickened it is time to transfer your mixture to a casserole or baking dish. If you are concenred it will stick you can spray the casserole dish with a little non-stick cooking spray. Add your meat mixture to the casserole dish making sure to cover the entire bottom.
- Top the mixture with your mashed potatoes. You can use a rubber spatula to smooth the potatoes until they cover from edge to edge. Sprinkle your shredded cheese over top and put it into your oven.2 cups garlic mashed potatoes, 1/4 cup Dubliner cheese
- Cook for 20- 20 minutes or until the lamb mixture is bubbling around the sides of the potatoes. Use a large metal spatula to serve and ENJOY!
