Shepherd’s Pie
Note: This post was updated in February 2014 after the recipe was featured in the Anchorage Daily News.
Weather: 26 degrees, massive snowflakes falling
What I’m listening to: Hawk Nelson, Christmas
“While shepherd’s watched their flocks by night…” Shepherds pop up this time of year everywhere – in our music, in our decor, in our Nativity scenes… why not give them a nod in our food, too? This hearty, rustic one-dish meal has been around for centuries and is ideal cozy winter food. It’s to red-meat what pot pie is to poultry.
It was originally named Shepherd’s Pie because it was made with lamb or mutton. There is some debate as to whether one can legitimately call it Shepherd’s Pie if it’s made with another protein, but I think the real spirit of the dish is to use what you have on hand (which, for shepherds, was lamb). Here in Alaska, it’s moose or caribou or bear. But, I still call it Shepherd’s Pie, although I think Hunter’s Pie is probably more fitting. Wherever you are, feel free to use what you have on hand whether it’s ground beef, lamb, or venison, etc. It’s mighty tasty eats.
Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
For the potato layer:
- 1½ lb. russet potatoes peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 large egg yolk beaten
- ⅓ cup grated cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper
For the meat layer:
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- 1 onion peeled and chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and diced
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1½ lb. lean ground meat use ground red meat of choice; lamb, bison, ground beef, etc. I used moose.
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ½ cup peas fresh or frozen
- ½ cup corn fresh or canned
Instructions
For Potatoes:
- Place potatoes in a pot of salted water, enough to cover. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmering about 10-15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Drain.
- Mix egg yolk in with milk. Mash or whip potatoes with butter and egg/milk mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Set aside.
For Meat Filling:
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Put a large frying pan over medium heat. Add oil and, when hot, add onions and carrots. Cook 3 minutes. Toss in garlic. Cook another minute. Add meat and brown. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- When meat is brown, sprinkle the meat with flour and stir. Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and beef broth. Add herbs and veggies. Remove from heat.
- To a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate or oblong casserole, pour the meat mixture. Spread the potatoes over top of the meat mixture. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.
- Bake 25 minutes or until potatoes and cheese begin to brown. Serve.
I have stew on my menu this week, but this sounds so much better, I think I’ll try it.
I love how this uses all fresh ingredients. My now (old) recipe used condensed soup to make the meat saucy and I was never thrilled. The potatoes were just the right texture and and beef (what I had) was great. Amazingly, I had no ketchup in the house, so I used BBQ sauce. Made the meet sweeter, but the kids had two helpings! Great dish.
shepards pie it was starting to taste different so we put 1 teaspoon of organic honey now it is perfect puting potatoes on now neighbours are here already thank you very much god bles u guys
I just made this for my family. Rave reviews. Thanks so much. You have wonderful recipes!
Sarah, thank you very much! Happy you and your family enjoyed the Shepherd’s Pie. Come back soon!
I’ve made this twice now and it was delicious! Definitely a family favorite (which is huge, since I have two picky eaters).
Just made this and it was YUMMY!! My husband is the cook in the home, and we have a freezer full of moose. It’s his day off, and I wanted to make dinner for HIM tonight (which, believe me, can be VERY scary – I messed up boiled eggs last time I tried). This was easy, I had almost all the ingredients on hand, and we just went back for a second helping 🙂 Thank you for this website!! I’m hooked!
Goodness gracious! That was so yummy. I made this tonight, and it’s definitely going into the regular rotation! Thanks again for all the great recipes–you rock!