Whenever I think of Irish food, two meals come to mind… corned beef and cabbage and shepherds pie. Now, of course, there are lots of fabulous Irish recipes like Irish stew, colcannon and coddle, but I have always been a big fan of corned beef and cabbage in the springtime and shepherds pie the very instant the evenings turn chilly.
For those of you who have never had shepherds pie, I would like to offer you my condolences, because you have really been missing out on a good thing. This comforting dish is like chicken pot pies hunky cousin. It can be made a variety of ways, but should include ground lamb and vegetables in an onion gravy covered in a thick layer of mashed potatoes. This homey dish is like a warm hug in a bowl and its the perfect meal for a cool, rainy day.
Let’s get started…
Begin by gathering 16 ounces of ground lamb, a medium yellow onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons of dried herbs (I use an Italian blend, but a mix of thyme, parsley and oregano works great too), 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, a tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups of broth (beef, chicken or vegetable will work), 12 ounces of frozen peas and carrots, 8 ounces of sweet corn and about 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley.
For the mashed potato topping, you will need to peel and cube 2 large russet potatoes and gather 6 tablespoons of butter, 1/3 cup of heavy cream, 2 cloves of garlic and some salt and black pepper.
I usually make the lamb mixture first and then make the potatoes, but if you are good at multitasking then feel free to start the potatoes and the filling at the same time.
Make the filling…
Place a large oven safe skillet over medium heat. The filling all comes together in the same skillet, so until you have a special baking dish you prefer to use, I like to bake my shepherds pie in the same skillet that I make the filling in to keep things easy and reduce my cleaning responsibilities later on.
Brown 16 ounces of ground lamb in a splash of olive oil until the lamb is cooked through and nicely browned. Transfer the lamb onto a plate and set it aside for now.
Add a diced yellow onion into the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes to soften the onion. Add 2 cloves of finely minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds while stirring.
Add 2 teaspoons of dried herbs, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour and a big pinch of salt and black pepper into the skillet and stir to combined.
Add 1 1/2 cups of stock (you can use beef, chicken or even vegetable stock) and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer until the flour we added begins to thicken the gravy and then transfer the skillet off of the heat.
Add 12 ounces of frozen peas and carrots, 8 ounces of drained sweet corn, 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley and the browned lamb into the skillet and mix until everything is evenly distributed. Set the filling aside until the potatoes are ready.
Make the potatoes…
Place the peeled and cubed potatoes in a saucepan and cover them with cool water. Place the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until they are fork tender.
Pour the potatoes into a strainer and lay a kitchen towel over the strainer to keep the potatoes warm.
Return the saucepan to your stovetop over medium heat and add 6 tablespoons of butter and 2 cloves of finely minced garlic. Cook while stirring for 60-90 seconds or until the butter has melted and the garlic is fragrant. Transfer the saucepan off of the heat and add the drained potatoes along with 1/3 cup of heavy cream and a big pinch of salt and black pepper.
Mash until smooth and cover the saucepan until you are ready to use the potatoes.
Now that the filling and potatoes are ready to go, transfer the mashed potatoes over the filling and smooth them out evenly over the entire skillet. I like to use a large ice cream scoop to add the potatoes, but this is totally optional. Just make sure they are pretty even in thickness throughout the whole skillet and work them all the way to the edges.
Bake the shepherds pie uncovered in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Everything is already fully cooked, but 20 minutes in the oven allows all of the flavors to develop a bit more, it will ensure that everything is nice and warm and will give the potato topping a little kiss of golden brown goodness.
Would you just look at that skillet of comfort food? Those lightly golden swirls of creamy potatoes will begin calling your name as soon as this skillet is brought to the dinner table.
I love seeing peoples face when I scoop into the shepherds pie for the first time. If they are unfamiliar with this delicious Irish staple then they are really in for a treat. Everyone loves potatoes, but when the ground lamb, vegetables and silky gravy are introduced… smiles start forming…
The combination of all of the ingredients in this shepherds pie come together to create a truly homey and comforting dish that I am quite confident you will love. This is something that I crave on cool, rainy days and I really enjoy serving this beautiful meal to friends and family visiting around the winter holidays.
Although a shepherds pie is a complete meal on its own, I like serving it with some lightly dressed greens and crusty bread….
Whether you are looking for something special to serve to guests or simply need some dinner inspiration, I would love for you to give this shepherds pie a try. I know you are going to love it…
Shepherds Pie
Ingredients
Lamb Filling
- 16 ounces of ground lamb
- olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons of dried herbs (an Italian blend or your favorite)
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
- 12 ounces of frozen peas and carrots
- 8 ounces of sweet corn, drained
- 1/3 cup of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Mashed Potato Layer
- 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1/3 cup of heavy cream
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add a splash of olive oil and 16 ounces of ground lamb. Break the lamb up into small pieces, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through
- Transfer the lamb onto a plate and set aside for now
- Add a diced yellow onion into the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion begins to soften
- Add 2 cloves of garlic and cook for about 60 seconds while stirring consistently
- Add 2 teaspoons of dried herbs, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons of all purpose flour and a big pinch of salt and black pepper into the skillet and mix until combined
- Add 1 1/2 cups of broth and stir until combined
- Add 12 ounces of frozen peas and carrots, 8 ounces of drained sweet corn, 1/3 cup of finely chopped fresh parsley and the browned lamb and mix until everything is evenly distributed. Set aside for now.
- Place the peeled and cubed potatoes into a large pot of water over high heat. Boil for about 15 minutes or until fork tender and then drain.
- Return the pot to the stove, reduce the heat to medium and add 6 tablespoons of butter and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Cook for about 60 seconds or until the butter is fully melted and the garlic becomes fragrant.
- Add the drained potatoes along with 1/3 cup of heavy cream and a large pinch of salt and black pepper. Mash until smooth and add additional salt if necessary.
- Cover the lamb mixture with a thick layer of the mashed potatoes
- Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the potatoes are lightly golden at the edges
- Enjoy with greens and crusty bread
