Wholesome Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
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Warm and Hearty Shepherd's Pie Recipe
You wouldn’t guess it, but this is actually one of my favourite comfort foods! Now this is one that I made when I was in Canada for quite some time, and it was long overdue! I had seen some pretty disgusting Shepherd’s Pies on Kitchen Nightmares. Of course those dishes didn’t do the actual recipe justice, but the concept did seem interesting to me, and I wanted to try my hand at a proper version!
Oh boy. When I first made a Shepherd’s Pie my life had seriously changed! I used ground lamb as the protein for the first couple of times and I fell in love! This meal encompasses your favourites all in one, and the deliciousness of all elements are in every single bite. I’m head over heels for the nice crust on those fluffy mashed potatoes. The meat is so tender and juicy. When you grab your fork and dig in, it’s going to be full of those soft mashed potatoes, the saucy meat and the veggies. I personally like my mixture to be a bit saucy yet a bit dry if that makes sense, but feel free to adjust the consistency to your liking. Whenever I eat this, I never want it to end! Seriously, what are you waiting for if you’ve never made this before! If lamb is a pesky protein for you, then Shepherd’s Pie is the best way to conquer your fear and enjoy it! Try this Classic Shepherd’s Pie recipe as part of your Live to Cook challenge! To get started on your cooking journey for free, simply sign up to my email newsletter! You’ll also get 5 exciting tips on how to get motivated and inspired in the kitchen, and you’ll never miss a new recipe that’s on the blog!
To get all the details and follow along with how I make the lamb mixture and assemble the Wholesome Shepherd’s Pie, be sure to watch the video at the bottom of this post! I would really appreciate it if you would please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t already! Don’t forget hit the bell button to get notified when new videos are released! Let’s get cooking!
What’s a Shepherd's Pie?
You may be confused as to what a Shepherd's Pie is versus what a Cottage Pie is? A Shepherd's Pie is made with lamb, because as the name suggests, “Shepherd” for the sheep! On the other hand, a Cottage Pie is made with beef, and it is given this name because this was an affordable dish enjoyed by peasants who were unable to afford beef at the time.
Traditionally this is a dish made with ground meat, gravy, onions, carrots and celery with a mashed potato crust.
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So if you want to make this a Cottage Pie, all you need to do is use ground beef instead!
Is Shepherd's Pie Irish?
History is a bit cloudy if you try to determine a singular point of origin for the humble Shepherd’s Pie. Based on brief research, a number of moving pieces appear to have come together to give birth to this delicacy, as well as it’s counterpart - Cottage Pie. Let’s get a brief history lesson to clear things up!
Around the 15th century, England had taken control over Ireland, making it a part of the United Kingdom. At this time, Irish Catholics were turned to humble land workers. Due to their impoverished circumstances, the Irish were forced to live in cottages.
In the late 1500s, potatoes were introduced to the United Kingdom. As this commodity gained popularity, the Irish began to adopt a plentiful supply of potatoes to their diet. As a result, Shepherd’s Pie came to life. According to some sources, the Irish were not fond of the taste of beef, but most importantly, they usually could not afford the protein.
Around the 18th century, a dish with the name Cottage Pie was introduced across the United Kingdom and Ireland. This dish usually substituted the ground lamb for ground beef. Because the pie originated using ground lamb, a distinction between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie was formed.
So let's get ready to enjoy this epic feast and get cooking for this St Patrick’s Day. This dish is especially great on a cold winter's night. Enjoy this Shepherd’s Pie recipe in a personal casserole or make it for the whole family by making it in a large casserole!
Source: Chow Hound
Ingredients for Warm and Hearty Shepherd's Pie
You can scroll to the bottom of this post or press the “Jump to Recipe” button for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD to save the recipe for later and to see the full ingredient quantities. You can also adjust the recipe based on how many portions of Shepherd’s Pie you want to make! This recipe was designed to be small-scaled, but you can always increase to serve a crowd! All measurements will automatically be adjusted for you!
Ground lamb: This recipe is using ground lamb. To make it into a Cottage Pie, use ground ground beef. You could try this with ground turkey or chicken too if you don’t consume beef or lamb.
Extra virgin olive oil: To cook the meat.
Veggies: Pearl onions, carrots, green peas.
Spices: Dried thyme and dried rosemary.
Gravy: This gravy is made with tomato paste, all-purpose flour, and broth (you can use either beef broth or chicken broth).
Mashed potatoes: You can follow my recipe for Ultimate Creamy Mashed Potatoes or use any of your favourite mashed potato recipe you like! For the mashed potatoes with my method, you need 10% (table) cream, butter, salt and pepper, and Yukon gold yellow potatoes.
How to Make Cottage Pie
Prepare the Mashed Potatoes - Check out my full recipe here
To prepare the mash, first boil the potatoes. My preferred method is to steam them in the Instant Pot - they turn out perfect every time, and I can focus on the rest of my prep while they cook.
Once cooked, peel the potatoes add to a large bowl, or to the bowl of a stand mixer. Lightly mash the potatoes before add the cream and butter.
Then, using a hand mixer, a large whisk or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer, start mixing the potatoes, butter and cream on the lowest speed until potatoes are creamy and smooth. Then taste and adjust for seasoning before you switch the setting to medium speed and whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute to make them fluffier.
This next step is fun, now transfer the mashed potatoes to a large Ziploc bag and turn it to a makeshift “icing” bag. This step is optional, but is recommended if you want those lovely peaks on your Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie which will turn crispy in the oven.
Prepare the mashed potatoes first, so that by the time the mince is prepared and portioned, the potatoes have cooled down. Warm potatoes will not spread as well and may give an inconsistent texture.
Prepare the Meat
We begin with heating some oil in a stainless steel pan on medium heat. Add the mince and break down any large chunks. The mince will release a lot of water and it’s natural fat as it cooks. Once the meat is no longer pink, drain any excess fat using a strainer, before transferring the meat back to the pan.
Lamb, naturally contains lots of fat, and if we cook our pie without draining the fat, our final casserole will be unnecessarily greasy, and will take away from the fluffy and creamy mashed potatoes. Plus, we really don’t need the extra fat to make this dish delicious.
The ratio of mince to veggies will be 2/3rds to 1/3rds for a satisfying, meaty pie.
Prepare the Veggies
Once the meat has browned, add the pearl onions which is cut in big chunks and carrots and cook until they turn soft. The big chinks of onions and carrots will turn so tender as the pie bakes in the oven and mingles mince and mashed potatoes.
Once the veggies are soft, add the peas and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomato paste at the centre of the pan and cook off the tartness from the tomatoes, about 30 seconds. Mix the tomatoes into the mince and turn heat to low as you prepare the slurry for the gravy.
Prepare the Gravy
To prepare the gravy, mix flour and half of the broth and whisk until there are no lumps. Then, add the rest of the broth and pour this mixture directly in the pan. Mix well and release any browned bits from the pan - this only adds more flavour!
Sprinkle the dried thyme and rosemary and mix well. Simmer, until the gravy thickens, about 3-5 minutes. The mince is ready to portioned in your casseroles.
Prepare the Casserole
Evenly portion out the mince in your casserole, I like to use a ceramic oval dish from Staub which is about 11” x 8” in size for perfect individual sized portions.
Once the mince has been portioned, cut a slice at the edge of your makeshift “icing” bags prepared for the mashed potatoes and add dollops of the mash all over the casserole. The recipe for the mashed potatoes should be perfect for 2 individual sized casseroles.
Note: If you don’t want to do this, watch the video for an alternative method on how to top the casserole with just a spoon!
Time to bake
Preheat the oven to 425 F and adjust the oven rack to the topmost position. Place the casseroles on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet in the oven rack, directly under the heat element. This will help creating the crispy mash crust.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the mash is crispy to your liking. Top with fresh parsley and serve hot!
What to Serve with Shepherd’s Pie
Nothing. I wouldn’t.
I think the dish is so complete in itself, you have potatoes, veggies, meat, all baked into one casserole - what more can you ask for?
HOWEVER, if you really want some sides and/or appetizers and/or desserts to complete your meal if serving Classic Shepherd’s Pie for a dinner party (or you just want to treat yourself!), then here are some ideas:
Can You Make Shepherd’s Pie Ahead of Time?
Storing Shepherd’s Pie
Definitely, until up to a point though. If you are planning getting the legwork for the prep completed before dinner time, complete all the steps till topping the casserole with the mashed potatoes. At this point, you can carefully cover the casserole with plastic wrap, to keep the peaks on the mashed potatoes and refrigerate until ready to cook.
How to Reheat Shepherd’s Pie
Once ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 F instead of 425 F. Since the casserole will be heating from cold, it will take longer for the mince and potatoes to come up to temperature. Cooking it too quickly will result in a crispy crust with a cold filling.
A quick way to check if the filling has come up to temperature would be to either use the handle of a teaspoon and poke it through the mash. If the handle is warm, the casserole should be ready. Alternatively, you can also check if the internal temperature is at least 160 F with an instant read thermometer.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!