In 1589 British explorer Sir Walter Raleigh brought back potatoes from the Americas. He planted them on his Irish estate, and in no time, they were a mainstay in the Irish culture and cuisine. Shepherd’s Pie is one of those recipes that makes delicious use of left-overs. Ground meat, vegetables, and left-over mashed potatoes can be turned into a delicious and very satisfying meal. Like many traditional dishes, recipes for Shepherd’s Pie are as varied as the cooks that prepare the dish. You can easily substitute favorite meats, veggies and spices, but no matter how you alter the filling, make sure to top with creamy mashed potatoes. This is our family’s favorite Shepherd’s Pie Recipe.
Shepherd’s Pie Recipe Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 1/2 pounds ground meat (can use lamb, beef, pork or any combination of ground meat)
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 gloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground rosemary
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots medley
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- mashed potatoes made from 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
Shepherd’s Pie Recipe Supplies
- heavy skillet
- oven safe casserole pan or skillet
Note: In our photos we made a double recipe. We used 2 pounds of ground round and 1 pound of ground pork
Directions for Shepherd’s Pie Recipe – Serves 6
Make your favorite recipe for mashed potatoes using 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes. Set aside.
Melt butter and oil in heavy skillet over medium high heat. Brown ground meat until just browned on the outside.
Add onions and garlic and continue cooking until meat, onions and garlic are cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and add flour. Thoroughly coat the meat mixture.
Add beef or chicken broth.
Mix in the tomato paste, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Mix well.
Add the frozen vegetables and mix.
Transfer to a casserole dish unless your skillet is oven proof. Smooth the surface.
Spoon the prepared mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture.
Cover the entire surface. Use a fork to create a pattern or simple fluff the surface of the potatoes.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 30 – 35 minutes. The potatoes should be nicely browned and the inside piping hot! (We pulled our pie a bit early because a dinner guest had another engagement. It was nice and hot, but I do prefer the potatoes to be browner than our photos.)
Serve directly from the baking dish. Scoop straight down so you get the perfect ration of potato to meat filling!
We suggestion serving with a thick slice of Irish Soda Bread!
