Shepherd's Pie Recipe
The ultimate cozy, warm weather meal, this shepherd's pie combines ground beef or lamb with vegetables and mashed potatoes. We love the combination of textures when the potatoes get nice and crispy in the oven, and we find everyone looks forward to the leftovers — if there are any!
Ingredients:
FOR THE POTATO TOPPING
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
½ cup milk
¼ cup butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
FOR THE MEAT FILLING
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalk, diced
1½ pounds ground lamb or ground beef
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup chicken broth, or if using ground beef use beef broth
1½ tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, see notes above
2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 cup frozen peas
Preparation:
1. Place the potatoes in a pot on the stove and cover with cold water. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a fork.
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then return to the pot. Add the milk, butter, salt and pepper and mash until creamy.
3. Preheat your oven to 400°F. In a large oven-safe saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for a minute. Then add the diced carrots, diced celery, and ground beef or lamb. Use your spatula to break up the meat and cook until the meat is just browned.
4. Drain the fat from the pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper to the ground meat. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, until the sauce is slightly thickened.
5 Remove from the heat, add the frozen peas, and stir to combine. Pour the mixture into a pie pan and use the back of your spatula to flatten it into a single layer.
6. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and use a spatula to spread it flat to the edges. If desired, to help the potatoes become brown and crispy, create texture in the potato topping with a spoon or fork.
7. Bake the shepherd's pie for about 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly golden brown. You can broil the top for 1 to 2 minutes as well to crisp the potatoes.