shepherd's pie made of minced meat, mashed potatoes and vegetables casserole in cast iron pan
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5 from 1 vote

Delicious Shepherd's pie Recipe

Enjoy this easy-to-make, delicious Shepherd's pie recipe with your friends and family this holiday season!
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time58 mins
Total Time1 hr 18 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, British, Irish
Keyword: shepherd's pie, cottage pie, ground beef pie
Appliance: oven
Author: Ishani Bose

Ingredients

For Beef Mixture

  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
  • 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
  • 1 and 1/2 lb ground beef/minced lamb
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 1 cup of fresh peas
  • 1 cup of frozen corn
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley (for garnish)
  • Worcestershire sauce (as per taste)

For Potatoes

  • 1/4 cup of sour cream
  • 1/4 cup of milk
  • 4 tbsp of melted butter
  • 1 and 1/2 lb of potatoes (peeled)
  • freshly ground black pepper (as per taste)
  • kosher salt/salt (as per taste)

Instructions

  • To make Shepherd's pie, first, make the mashed potatoes. To make them, keep the potatoes in a large pot completely immersed in water and add a generous amount of salt. Bring them to a boil and let them cook until they become soft. This should not take more than 20 minutes. Drain them and let them be in the pot.
  • Mash the potatoes until they become smooth in texture. Use a potato masher to ensure there are no lumps. Add milk, melted butter, and sour cream to it. These will enhance the taste and also help bring the smooth consistency. Mash them together properly until it is properly mixed and season it with salt and pepper. Once it is made, set it aside.
    A closeup picture of delicious mashed potatoes with greens in bowl on table close
  • To make the meat blend, take a large, ovenproof skillet and heat oil in it over medium heat. Once it heats up (not too much as it could burn the ingredients), add carrots, garlic, onion, mushrooms, and thyme (or any other herb of your choice). Cook until it softens and gives out a fragrant. This should take about 5 minutes or so. Add ground beef/minced lamb to the mixture and cook till it ceases to be pink. Once done, drain the fat.
    Ingredients for a "shepherd's pie", the British potato casserole with minced meat and vegetables. Peeled potatoes, minced meat, butter, milk, flour, egg yolk, carrots, green peas, onion, garlic, salt

  • If you wish to add frozen peas and corn to the mixture, now would be a good time to do so. Continue to cook them on medium heat until it softens. Once done. Season it with salt and pepper. 

  • Now check the oven. Preheat it to 400° F.  Meanwhile, start to prepare the meat mixture. Sprinkle flour over the meat and stir properly to evenly distribute it. Cook it for a minute or two and add chicken broth to it. Let it simmer for 5 minutes, while the mixture thickens. Add Worcestershire sauce to the mixture as per your taste, which will provide it a sweet and savory flavor with a distinct tangy aftertaste. For the uninitiated, Worcestershire sauce is a fermented condiment prepared from a base of vinegar. Its flavor is enhanced with molasses, anchovies, tamarind, onion, garlic, and other seasonings.

  • Cover the beef mixture with an evenly distributed layer of mashed potatoes and bake it until they become golden. This should not take more than 20 minutes. Garnish it with your favorite herbs before serving it hot! Given that this is quite a meat-dense dish, you can serve it with a lighter salad such as 'Beet and Goat Cheese Salad' or 'Apple, Walnut and Candied Cranberry Salad', to name a few.
    Portion of shepherd's pie or cottage pie on a plate. British cuisine.

Notes

If there are leftovers, the entire recipe will be cooked in no time. The only thing you will have to make from scratch is the creamy mashed potato. Shepherd's Pie is a great dish to prepare way ahead of time. You can cook it the night before and store it covered in the refrigerator. You can bake it the next day right before serving it. Typically, you can store the cooked mixture for 3-5 days, all covered up, in the refrigerator. You can also cover the pie tightly and freeze it for up to 2 months. You need to cook it in an oven at 350° F before eating.