Shepherd’s Pie
It’s that dreary mid-winter time of the year when we crave comfort food. Shepherd’s Pie has always been a favorite wintertime meal for us. We like to make ours with lamb – we read somewhere that shepherds herd sheep not cows, haha! – but you can certainly substitute ground beef, if you prefer. We also like to roast our veggies before adding them to the pie. It’s not difficult to do and it adds a really nice flavor. However, if you don’t want to, just add them raw while cooking the onions (see note in recipe).
We use a Duchess potato topping with some grated Irish cheese on top of our Shepherd’s Pie. We like to smoothness of the Duchess potatoes and, well, cheese makes everything better, right? You can simply boil some potatoes and mash them with a little butter and cream and that will do just fine. We recommend you try the Duchess, though. They really add a nice flavor profile to the pies.
We also break from tradition by not adding peas (sorry to all you pea fans, but pea fans we are not) and making individual pies versus one big one. If a big Shepherd’s Pie is your thing, it can be made in a 9×9 inch pan. The beauty of this recipe is that is is easy to modify based on what you like. You can swap the turnip out for a cup of peas. Or add a couple more carrots if you don’t like parsnips. Make it your way but please do make it…you will love it!
Jump to Recipe
Roasting the vegetable adds wonderful depth of flavor.
Allow to simmer until the sauce is reduced and thick.
Divide filling evenly between individual dishes.
Whip the duchess potato topping until light and fluffy.
We piped the potatoes in a zig-zag pattern, but you can use any style you wish, or simply spread them on top with a spoon.
Brush tops with butter and they are ready to go in the oven!
Bake until beautifully browned and bubbly.
Dig in!
Shepherd's Pie
Equipment
- Wilton #8 pastry tip
- 4 8-ounce ramekins
Ingredients
- For the filling:
- 1 pound lamb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 roasted carrots diced (see note)
- 2 roasted parsnips diced (see note)
- 1 roasted turnip diced (see note)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Guiness or other dark beer
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary thyme or a combination
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- pinch ground cinnamon
- For the potato topping:
- 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 ounces Irish cheese such as Dubliner®, finely shredded
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Roast the vegetables (optional - see note):
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Wash, peel and cut the carrots, parsnips and turnip into 2” slices. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven 25-30 minutes or until they begin to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool enough to handle. Dice the veggies into small pieces and set aside.
- Make the filling:
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Brown the lamb in a cast iron skillet coated with olive oil over medium heat.
- When the lamb is fully cooked, remove the meat from the skillet and add the chopped onion (and the veggies if you are adding them raw).
- Cook the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes (10 minutes if using raw veggies).
- Add the lamb and roasted vegetables to the skillet, and stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, beer, rosemary, paprika and cinnamon.
- Cook until the mixture is reduced by about half, then add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Divide among 4 8-ounce ramekins.
- Prepare potato topping:
- While cooking the lamb filling, place potatoes into a large pan of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to pan.
- Mash butter, cayenne pepper, heavy cream, and Irish cheese into the potatoes. (we use handheld beaters here). Mash until combined and potatoes are smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper
- Whisk together egg yolk and milk in a small bowl; stir into the mashed potato mixture
- Top the lamb mixture in the ramekins with the mashed potatoes and spread evenly to cover. Or pipe them over the top of the meat using a decorating tip and a pastry bag for a festive look.
- Brush with 1 tablespoon melted butter.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 35 to 40 minutes.