Shephard’s Pie
Shepherd's Pie
Every year when St. Patrick’s Day comes around it’s time for me to make Shepherd’s Pie. Shepherd’s Pie is a mixture of lamb and vegetables that cook in a flavorful gravy, then it all gets topped with mashed potatoes and bakes until the top gets browned and crisp. In the recipe I make, I love to use lamb because I love the flavor of it. However, use which ever meat you would prefer! I have tried a few different recipes, combinations of those recipes and have done my research on traditional Shepherd’s Pie. Over the years I kept some things I like from one recipe, altered or added ingredients and have ultimately come up with this version. It has both red wine and Guinness to make the gravy and has the right amount of herbs along with a touch of sweetness and umami. It is the perfect hearty meal for a cold night in March.
If you are wondering where it all came about, there is a debate on if it originated in the British Isles or Ireland, however it is a meal they both claim and love. What we do know is, the dish started out of frugality. Homemakers needed to use cheap ingredients and left overs in order to stretch their meals. Depending on the type of meat used, there is a different name for it. Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally made with lamb whereas cottage pie is made with beef. The British used beef and it was named cottage pie because the peasants lived in cottages. In Ireland they had to use lamb because they could not afford beef at the time under British ruling. Because shepherds tended to the sheep that’s where the name came derived.
What You'll Need for the Filling
This may look like a long list of ingredients but I personally have many of these items already on hand in the refrigerator or pantry noted with an asterisk* which practically takes it down to a 7 item grocery list for the filling and even less (4) if you opt to use dried herbs!
- Ground Lamb or Beef
- Onion*
- Carrots*
- Celery*
- Garlic*
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Sage
- Oregano
- Onion Powder*
- Butter*
- Flour*
- Guinness
- Red Wine*
- Beef Broth*
- Worcestershire Sauce*
- Beef Bouillon Paste*
- Brown Sugar*
- Sherry Vinegar*
- Frozen Peas
Make the Filling
- Brown the lamb – in a deep skillet brown the lamb over medium- medium-high heat with a little bit of olive oil coating the pan. Transfer to a dish and set aside.
- Sauté the veggies – Add a little butter to the pan and sweat the onions, carrots and celery for about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the garlic and spices – Throw in the garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage and onion powder and sauté for about 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Sprinkle over the flour and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Combine everything – Pour in the Guinness, wine, and broth. Add some Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar and finally the browned lamb. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Allow to cool to room temperature – so it’s easier to spread the potatoes on top.
What You'll Need for the Mashed Potatoes
- Golden Potatoes: I prefer to use golden potatoes over russet because they have a creamier texture. You can substitute russet here if that’s what you have on hand!
- Half n Half: Best of both worlds. Half milk half cream. It has more fat and richness to it to provide the creamy consistency we want. Feel free to use whole milk if you don’t want the extra fat.
- Butter
- Whipped Cream Cheese: Using store bought whipped cream cheese makes it easier to fold into the potatoes. The airiness doesn’t hurt either.
- Cheddar Cheese: White or yellow cheddar cheese work as they are both the same. Yellow cheddar just had natural food coloring added to it.
- Egg Yolk: Egg yolks have a lot of fat in it and is a natural emulsifier. The fat helps create a richness and the emulsification while mixing them into the mashed potatoes leads to a smoother mashed potato.
Make the Potatoes
- Peel & Cut the Potatoes into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Add to a pot filled with cold water.
- Simmer – Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain and place back in the hot pot for a few minutes to remove excess moisture from the potatoes.
- Mash the Potatoes – Using a potato ricer, press the potatoes through into a separate bowl. If you don’t have a ricer, using an electric mixer would work fine.
- Add the Butter, Milk, nutmeg and cheeses – Melt the butter and warm the milk to take off the chill. Fold the butter, milk and cheese into the warm potatoes.
- Add the Egg Yolk – Fold in the egg yolk until thoroughly combined.
Make the Shepherd's Pie
- Transfer the filling into a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Top with the Mashed Potatoes – dollop mashed potatoes over the filling and carefully spread from edge to edge. Optional: using a fork make a design by angling it on a diagonal. Press the fork into the top of the mash potatoes and slightly drag and lift. Continue on the same angle in one direction. Then move to the next line and repeat in the opposite direction.
- Bake in the oven at 425° until browned and bubbly.
Can you make it in advance?
- The filling can be made 1-2 days in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Allow the filling to come to room temperature before baking or microwave for 3 minutes. Transfer for a 9 x 13 casserole dish and proceed with making the mashed potatoes, spreading on top of the filling and baking.
- The mashed potatoes should be made the same day for best results.
- I have never tried preparing the whole sheperd’s pie in advance and storing it in the refrigerator before baking. If you wish to go that route I do not have experience on the outcome, however if you wish to try it and it worked or did not work I would love to hear in the comments!
Equipment
- 12 Inch Cast Iron or Oven Safe Pan OR 13 x 9 casserole dish
- Large Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Spatula
- Measuring Cups
Ingredients
Filling
- 1.5 lbs Ground Lamb
- 1 large Onion chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 large Carrots diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 stalks Celery diced (about a 1/2 cup)
- 1 Tbsp Garlic chopped
- 2 tsp Rosemary fresh, chopped OR 1 tsp dried
- 2 tsp Thyme fresh, chopped OR 1 tsp dried
- 1 tsp Sage fresh, chopped OR 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 tsp Oregano fresh, chopped OR 1/2 tsp dried
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 1/3 cup All-Purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Guinness
- 3/4 cup Red Wine
- 1 1/2 cups Beef Broth
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Worscestershire Sauce
- 2 tsp Beef Bouillon Paste
- 1 tsp Sherry Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Peas frozen
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Mashed Potatoes
- 2 lbs Golden Potatoes Peeled and Chopped into 1 1/2 -2 inch cubes
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1/2-2/3 cup Half n Half
- 6 tbsp Butter
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- 14 cup Whipped Cream Cheese
- 1 Egg Yolk
Instructions
Make the Filling
- In a deep skillet over medium-high heat, brown the lamb in a little bit of olive oil. Once the lamb is nearly all browned move all of the lamb to one side of the pan and gently tip it to allow the fat to accumulate on the other side of the pan. Using a spoon or baster, remove all but 1-2 tablespoons of fat.
- Add in the onions, carrots and celery. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes until just softened and the onions begin to turn translucent. Next add in the garlic and spices and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle over the flour and cook for another 1-2 mintutes. Pour in the beef broth, Guinness and red wine. Bring to a simmer. Mix in the brown sugar, worschestershire sauce and beef bouillon paste. Allow to simmer for about 30 minutes until the gravy thickens and it reduces by about half. Stir in the peas and turn off the heat.
- Allow the filling to cool to room temperature so it's easier to spread the mashed potatoes over top.
Make the Mashed Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400° and arrange a rack 6 inches from the broiler.
- Place the peeled and cubed potatoes in a pot filled with cold water. Bring to a gentle boil and toss in the bay leaf. Cool for about 20 minutes until fork tender.
- Drain the potatoes and then put them back in the pot over low heat. Stir for a few minutes to remove excess moisture.
- Press the potatoes through a potato ricer into a medium sized bowl. If you don't have a ricer, use an electric mixer to mash the potatoes in the bowl with the half and half and butter. Fold in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Start with 1/2 cup of half n half and add more as necessary. Next, add in the egg yolk and fold to mix that through the potatoes.
- Dollop the mashed potatoes across the top of the filling and using light hand, spread from edge to edge.
- OPTIONAL: To make a design on top of the mashed potatoes, angle a fork on a diagonal then press down onto the mashed potatoes and slightly drag to create lines. Repeat in the same direction. Move to the next line down and perform in the opposite direction. Continue until the entire dish has the herringbone pattern.
- Bake at 400° for 25-30 minutes until bubbling and starting to brown on the top.