Shepherd’s Pie 🥧 — a classic comfort food consisting of a savory ground meat and vegetable filling topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until golden. Traditionally made with lamb (hence “shepherd”), but beef versions are sometimes 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 the Filling:
- Heat 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 the Pie:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Spread the meat-vegetable mixture evenly in a baking dish.
- Top with mashed potatoes, spreading evenly and smoothing the top.
- Optional: sprinkle grated cheddar cheese on top.
- Bake:
- Bake 20–25 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is bubbly.
- Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Tips
- For extra flavor, add a splash of red wine or beef stock to the filling.
- Make ahead: assemble in advance and refrigerate; bake when ready to serve.
- Leftovers reheat well in the oven or microwave.
If you want, I can also give a vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie version using lentils and mushrooms instead of meat — just as hearty and delicious.
Do you want me to do that?
