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–+ servings
A close up of a a Shepard's pie in a casserole dish.

Shepherd's Pie - Meat Pie with Mashed Potatoes

Author: Veena Azmanov
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs
Calories: 403kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 8 servings

Description

Shepherd's pie is comfort food. Saucy ground meat under creamy mashed potatoes topped with a cheesy crust. This recipe is so simple and easy you will be making it over and over often.

Ingredients 

Meat sauce

  • 1 lb (500 g) Ground lamb
  • 2 tablespoon Cooking oil canola or olive
  • ½ cup Onion chopped
  • 1 clove Garlic minced
  • ¼ cup Carrot grated or diced
  • ¼ cup Celery optional
  • 2 tablespoon All purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoon Tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1.25 cup (300 ml) Stock
  • 1 cup (250 ml) Red Wine
  • ½ teaspoon Salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Pepper

Mashed potatoes

  • 2 lbs (1 kg) Potatoes
  • 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese grated
  • 2 tablespoon Cheddar cheese grated
  • ½ cup (120 ml) Milk warm
  • 4 tablespoon Butter
  • 2 tablespoon Sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon Salt chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon Pepper

Crust

  • 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
  • 4 tbsp Cheddar cheese
  • 2 tbsp Breadcrumbs

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 190 C / 380 F.
  • The meat mixture and mashed potatoes can be done simultaneously.

Meat sauce

  • Heat oil in a saute pan.
  • Add onions, garlic and bay leave- saute for 2 minutes.
  • Then add carrots and celery – cook for 3 minutes more
  • Next, add the ground meat – break it up while stirring and cook until the meat is browned and all the liquid has almost evaporated.
  • Now add the flour – combine well.
  • Next goes in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, stock, red wine, salt, and pepper.
  • Let come to a boil – then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook on low for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. If the heat is too high the sauce will dry out.
  • After 10 minutes, taste and adjust seasoning and consistency – add more water if the sauce is too thick. Alternatively, if it too thin continue to cook until you reach desired consistency.
  • Set aside and let the sauce cool before you assemble the pie.

Mashed potatoes

  • Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until soft
  • Drain and place them back in the pot over low heat for just 30 seconds. This will absorb excess moisture.
  • Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or potato ricer.
  • Stir in the butter, parmesan, cheddar, sour cream, milk, salt, and pepper – stir well to combine
  • Add more milk if necessary so the potatoes are not to thick.
  • Set aside – keep warm

Assemble & bake

  • Pour the sauce into a baking dish.
  • Spoon the mashed potatoes over the minced meat filling using a tablespoon.
  • Then use the back of the tablespoon to spread it evenly.
  • Sprinkle the parmesan and cheddar cheeses over.
  • Finally, sprinkle the breadcrumbs over (the breadcrumbs prevent the cheese browning too quickly and adds a nice crust)
  • Bake in a preheated oven at 190 C/380 F for about 30 minutes or until the edges are bubbling from the heated sauce.

Recipe Notes

  1. Thaw the meat well before cooking. This will brown the meat meal and give a better flavor.
  2. Saute the veggies well - do not try to do this quickly. Give the veggies time to sweat and then caramelize slightly. It makes a huge difference in flavor.
  3. Cook the sauce on low heat and let it simmer for a good 30 minutes. That way all the flavor stays in and not evaporate.
  4. Let the sauce cool as it makes assembling the final pie easier. You can even make the sauce a day in advance and reheat it when ready to assemble.
  5. The consistency of the sauce is key to all that wonderful bubbling when it is done. The sauce does not evaporate from under the mashed potato so it's easy to decide how much liquid you need in the sauce. You don't want it too thick, nor too liquid.
  6. Use the right potatoes such as Yukon gold when making mashed potatoes. These give the best flavor and texture.
  7. Make the mashed potato much ahead of time so it's easier to work with when assembling.
  8. Don't pour all the mashed potato over the sauce. Instead, dot them in tablespoons over the meat sauce. That way it's easier to spread without making a mess.
  9. Don't overdo the cheese on the crust - as it tends to burn easily. If you want more cheese, add a bit more to the mashed potato instead.
  10. Let the prepared pie cool for at least 10 minutes before you let people dig in because the sauce is VERY hot.
 

The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you

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