FAMILY FAVORITE SHEPHERD'S PIE

 

 

One of the best school lunch was shepherd's pie. It's hearty, easy to eat, and you could count more than 3 ingredients in it. Growing up, our exposure to American food was at school. Wishing we had parents who cooked towers of pancakes at the table as we rushed out the door to school, but realizing now that the cup noodles for breakfast was probably more nutritious. 

DID YOU KNOW?

Shepherd's pie is actually made with sheep (or mutton). Our recipe is made with beef, which technically should be called cottage pie. Also, way back the pie was likely made using leftover meat. 

INGREDIENTS

Meat Mixture:

1 lb - Ground Beef 

1 Cup - Chopped Onions

3 cloves - Garlic (Minced)

12 oz - Corn (we used frozen)

12 oz - Carrots and Peas (also frozen)

2 Tbsp - Tomato Paste (if you read this fast like me, you probably read toothpaste; don't use toothpaste).

2 Tbsp - Flour 

2 Tbsp - Worcestershire Sauce  (https://amzn.to/3zyJTQK)

3 Tbsp - Olive Oil (https://amzn.to/3zUHcKI)

1 tsp - Rosemary (https://amzn.to/3BJolnc)

1 tsp - Thyme (https://amzn.to/3QdGNIC)

1 tsp - Salt (or to taste)

1 tsp - Black Pepper (or to taste)

Mashed Potatoes:

4 Cups - Chopped Russet Potatoes

1 Stick - Butter

1/2 Tbsp - Garlic Powder

1/2 Cup - Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tsp - Salt (or to taste)

1 tsp - Black Pepper (or to taste)

1/2 Cup - Heavy Cream

VIDEO

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Boil the potatoes until you can easily mash it with the back of a fork. 

2. In a pot, add the olive oil and then cook the onions until brown. Then add the ground meat, salt, black pepper, thyme, and rosemary. 

3. Once the meat is cooked, add the garlic and worcestershire sauce. Mix well then add the tomato paste.

4. Add the flour and mix until combined with the meat mixture. At this point the mixture will be dry and possibly sticking to the bottom of the pot--pour in the beef stock to help remove the cooked on (but not burned) residue at the bottom of the pot. 

5. Add in the corn, carrots, and peas. Stir continuously until the vegetables are cooked. Then set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

6. Once the potatoes are soft enough for mashing, strain and place in a large bowl and mix in the mashed potato ingredients together until combined. 

7. In an oven safe dish (we used a 9x13 in tray that is about 2 inches deep - https://amzn.to/3BB8uHn), place the meat mixture in and flatten until the top if smooth. The smoother the mixture is, the easier it will be to smooth the mash potatoes on top. 

8. Put the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture then spread it until flat as well. Make small designs/ridges if desired. 

7. Bake the dish for 2-30 minutes until the mashed potatoes are golden brown. Note that if your mixture is almost to the top of the dish, you may want to place a large oven-safe cookie tray on the oven shelf below the shepherd's pie in case any of the liquid bubbles over. 

NOTES

- Use your preferred choice of meat. Lean meats like ground turkey or chicken may need a little more beef stock or olive oil to prevent burning when cooking on the stove. Add more seasoning/stock to flavor meatless options like tofu. 

- To make it fancy, top your shepherd's pie with fries or tater tots. You could half the portion of the mash potatoes then spread the mashed potato on top of the meat mixture as normal, then place the tater tots/french fries on top of the mashed potatoes. 

- Canned corn is sweeter and the color is more vibrant than the frozen variety, so if you wanted that sweet corn in each bite, use a can or two of sweet corn. 

- Frozen peas have a better color than canned peas, so if you're going for a vibrant green, stick with frozen. If all you have is canned, used it.