Shepherd’s Pie 🥧 — a classic comfort food featuring a savory meat and vegetable filling topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden. Traditionally made with lamb (“shepherd”), while versions with beef are often called Cottage Pie.
Ingredients (Serves 4–6)
Filling:
- 1 lb (450 g) ground lamb (or beef for cottage pie)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup beef or lamb broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Mashed Potato Topping:
- 2 lbs (900 g) potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 tbsp butter
- ½ cup milk or cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: grated cheddar cheese for topping
Instructions
- Prepare Mashed Potatoes:
- Boil potatoes until tender (~15–20 minutes).
- Drain and mash with butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Cook Filling:
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté onions and garlic until softened.
- Add ground lamb, cooking until browned.
- Stir in carrots, peas, tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer 5–10 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Assemble Pie:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Spread meat-vegetable mixture evenly in a baking dish.
- Top with mashed potatoes, smoothing the surface.
- Optional: sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake:
- Bake 20–25 minutes until mashed potatoes are golden and the filling is bubbling.
- Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Tips
- Add a splash of red wine or extra broth to enrich the filling.
- For fluffier topping, whip potatoes with extra butter or cream.
- Leftovers reheat well in the oven or microwave.
I can also provide a vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie recipe using lentils and mushrooms that’s just as hearty and flavorful.
Do you want me to share that version?
