This week, we are making a dish I had many times as a child, a Shepherd's Pie! It was a weekly staple in my family which everyone enjoyed. It's a filling, delicious, and hearty dish that is great for a cold winter evening.
A lot of people confuse this for a Cottage Pie, or use the names interchangeably, and while they are quite similar there is one main difference - Shepherds Pies are made with mince lamb or mutton, and Cottage Pies use mince beef. The rest of the recipe is pretty much the same, so if you like, you can substitute the lamb for beef for an equally tasty dinner !
There is some controversy on where the Shepherds/Cottage Pie originated. Since I ate this many times as a child here in Ireland, I always believed it was traditionally Irish. However, there are a lot of people who believe it came from Britain. It's hard to find an exact source of where it came from - the internet seems pretty divided on the issue - but since this was a dinner I ate growing up, I like to think it's an Irish classic ! It's generally accepted, though, that the Cottage Pie was first made around the 18th century as a way to serve leftover meat and vegetables.
The dish is a hearty meat and vegetable filling, topped with crusted mashed potato. It is very versatile - you can add any of your favourite vegetables, such as leeks, or mushrooms. Today, however, I'm making it like my mother did and using onions, carrots, and peas, as well as some smoked bacon for some extra flavour!
 30 minutes |
 45-60 minutes |
 4-6 |
Ingredients
For the Shepherds Pie filling:
500 grams mince lamb
1 large onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 carrots, diced
100 grams peas
300 milliliters beef stock
100 grams smoked bacon rashers, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon tomato purée
Salt & Pepper
For the mash potato topping:
500 grams potatoes
50 grams butter
50 milliliters milk
Salt
Cookware :
Large Frying pan
Oven-proof Casserole dish
Large pot
Cook the Meat Filling
>> Place your frying pan on the hob over a medium-high heat.
>> Add the mince lamb and chopped bacon and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mince has browned.
>> Dice the onion, wash, peel and dice the carrots, and crush the garlic. Add these and the peas to the meat and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
>> Pour in the beef stock and stir. Add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée to the pan, and mix.
>> Bring the whole mixture to the boil, cover and lower the heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
Make the Mash
>> While the meat is simmering, peel and chop the potatoes.
>> Bring some salted water to boil in a large pan. When the water has reached boiling point, add the potatoes.
>> Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
>> Once cooked, strain the potatoes. Add the butter and milk, little by little, to the pot and mash until smooth. Feel free to add more butter or milk to the mash, depending on your taste, being careful not to add too much or the mash will become too runny.
>> Salt to taste.
>> Add the mince lamb and chopped bacon and cook for 5-7 minutes until the mince has browned.
>> Dice the onion, wash, peel and dice the carrots, and crush the garlic. Add these and the peas to the meat and cook for a further 3-4 minutes.
>> Pour in the beef stock and stir. Add the Worcestershire sauce and tomato purée to the pan, and mix.
>> Bring the whole mixture to the boil, cover and lower the heat to simmer for 15 minutes.
>> While the meat is simmering, peel and chop the potatoes.
>> Bring some salted water to boil in a large pan. When the water has reached boiling point, add the potatoes.
>> Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
>> Once cooked, strain the potatoes. Add the butter and milk, little by little, to the pot and mash until smooth. Feel free to add more butter or milk to the mash, depending on your taste, being careful not to add too much or the mash will become too runny.
>> Salt to taste.
Bring it all Together
>> Once everything is ready, spoon your meat filling into the casserole dish.
>> Spread the mash potato on top of this carefully - making sure to get an even layer to cover the whole dish - and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
>> Run the prongs of a fork along the top to make some designs - you want a lot of little peaks that will brown and crisp under the grill.
>> Place under a pre-heated grill for 5-10 minutes, until the peaks of the potato are browned.
>> Spread the mash potato on top of this carefully - making sure to get an even layer to cover the whole dish - and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon.
>> Run the prongs of a fork along the top to make some designs - you want a lot of little peaks that will brown and crisp under the grill.
>> Place under a pre-heated grill for 5-10 minutes, until the peaks of the potato are browned.
Serve & Enjoy!
>> Once the potato is golden brown and crispy, remove from the oven carefully.
>> Allow the pie too cool slight and spoon generous portions on to each plate, or eat directly off the casserole dish if you have some individual ones.
>> Serve with some cooked vegetables on the side, or a nice salad - see our recipe here - and enjoy!
>> Allow the pie too cool slight and spoon generous portions on to each plate, or eat directly off the casserole dish if you have some individual ones.
>> Serve with some cooked vegetables on the side, or a nice salad - see our recipe here - and enjoy!
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