Beef Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd’s Pie

Written by Published on in Beef
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Shepherd’s pie is a wonderful recipe, and it’s one of the classic comfort food options out there in the world – from the umami notes of well-cooked meat to the smooth, creamy, cheesy flavor of great mashed potatoes.

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8×8 Baking Pan
Backcountry Cast Iron Skillet
KitchenAid Cordless 7 Speed Hand Mixer

About This Recipe

There are so many things that we love about this recipe, but the first and foremost thing that we were impressed by during a taste test is the roasted garlic in the ingredients. The caramelized nature of the cooking process means that the final dish is strong, rich, and wonderfully aromatic as it cooks.

Roasted garlic tastes just a little different than when it’s fried – as it cooks so much slower, the final flavor is sweet and gentle rather than being powerful and aggressive. This may sound like quite a small difference, but it’s a difference that is most certainly noticed in a great meal like this one.

The mixture of the two different types of meat in this recipe means that the final dish has some really interesting taste sensations going on. Not only is there the rich, salty flavor of the beef, but there’s also the subtly different texture and flavor of the lamb within the pie.

While this means that the pie isn’t totally a shepherd’s pie, it also means that the pie is utterly delicious – so we’re willing to let it off to some extent.

We would recommend using more beef than lamb, as the recipe stipulates, since having the beef be a grounding, neutral, and fairly basic flavor for the pie is a really great way to bring the notes of the lamb to the forefront. Together, they’re greater than the sum of their parts. That might sound like a fairly silly food saying, but it truly applies here – they bring out the best in one another.

Shepherd's Pie
SHepherd’s Pie

Hints & Tips

The thing that well and truly makes a dish like this one that features red meat and gravy so heavily is the concept of using different herbs and spices to make the meal truly aromatic. This can be seen with the roasted garlic that we mentioned just above, but it can also be seen with the wonderful use of rosemary and thyme in the recipe. This is another thing that may sound small, but the use of these herbs really pushes this dish to be a cut above the rest.

If you were looking to give this dish another little boost, we’d recommend adding a secret ingredient: lavender! This might sound a little strange, but lavender can be used alongside aromatic European herbs like rosemary and thyme to create a really aromatic and floral note in your cooking.

When combined with the richness of the meat, gravy, cream, and all the other rich ingredients, the floral note of lavender adds something sharp and sweet to the mixture which cuts through all of the fat in the recipe. Even though it may sound odd, we’d recommend giving it a go!

This recipe for shepherd’s pie is a wonderful one – both simple and complex, and both easy and delicious. We’d recommend trying it out soon, maybe even for dinner tonight!

Shepherd’s Pie
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Shepherd’s Pie

Recipe by morcayneCourse: BeefDifficulty: Easy
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

50

minutes
Total time

1

hour 

5

minutes

Ingredients

  • Beef Filling

  • 1 Pound Ground Beef

  • ½ Pound Ground Lamb

  • 1 Medium Onion (diced)

  • 1 Cup Frozen Peas & Carrots

  • ½ Cup Frozen Corn

  • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil

  • 2 Tsp Rosemary

  • 2 Tsp Thyme

  • 1 Tsp Paprika

  • 2 Tsp Roasted Garlic

  • 3 Tbsp Flour

  • 3 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

  • ¼ Cup Red Wine

  • 1 Cup Beef Broth

  • Salt & Pepper (to taste)

  • Potato Topping

  • 3 Large Golden Potatoes (peeled and cubed)

  • ½ Cup Unsalted Butter (room temperature)

  • ¼ Cup Heavy Cream

  • 1 Tsp Garlic Powder

  • Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Directions

  • Beef Filling
  • In a large skillet heat your oil of medium-high heat.
  • Add in the onions and sauté for about 5 minutes or until tender.
  • Add in the ground beef, lamb, rosemary, thyme, and paprika.
  • Using a wooden spoon or spatula break apart your beef and lamb and cook until browned.
  • Add in your Worcestershire sauce and garlic and cook for an additional minute.
  • Sprinkle on the flour and stir until flour is incorporated into the beef mixture.
  • Stir in the wine, broth, peas, carrots, and corn.
  • Bring to a boil then lower heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Set meat mixture aside.
  • Potato Topping
  • Boil the potatoes until they are tender.
  • Drain the potatoes in a large colander and let rest for about 3 minutes making sure that as much liquid has been drained.
  • Add in your butter, cream, garlic powder, and a dash of salt and pepper.
  • Mix using either a hand mixer or potato smasher (potato smasher is preferred).
  • Putting It All Together
  • Pour the meat mixture into a large greased up baking dish (9×9 or 7×11 should work).
  • Spread your potatoes on top of the meat mixture making sure to cover all of it.
  • Bake for about 25 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Recipe Video

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