The Britts will not even call this Shepherd's Pie

This is my family’s favorite Shepherd’s Pie; I must admit, this is totally not the English version.

The English version of meat pie that is made with beef is “Cottage Pie”, and if it is made with lamb, then it is called “Shepherd’s Pie”.  In Ireland the dish is commonly called shepherd's pie even when containing beef.  Here in United States, similar dish is called cowboy pie; the most common recipe for shepherd's pie consists of ground beef, canned creamed corn, and mashed potatoes.

Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally made with leftover roast meat, but today it is often made with fresh minced or ground meat, most commonly beef or lamb with mashed potato crust on top. Adding cheese with the mashed potato again is not the traditional English version, but the USA’s. 

 

This recipe serves 6

2 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 carrots, peeled and diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds ground beef

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons tomato paste

½ cup red wine

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas

Salt and Pepper to taste

If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs, but use half of what the recipe called for.

For the crust:

2 ½ pounds russet potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup scallions chopped

1 cup Parmesan Cheese or Romano Cheese, grated

Salt and Pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.  Brown the meat. Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the onions to the pan and sauté until the onions are transparent - about 5 minutes. Add the chopped carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, tomato paste, rosemary, parsley and thyme; stir and sauté for 2 minutes. Next, stir in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the wine and the beef stock; taste, add salt and pepper, as needed. Return the meat to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the meat is fully cooked.

For the potatoes:

Peel the potatoes, cut them into large even-sized pieces and place into a pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook potatoes until they are tender, about 10 minutes. When the potatoes are done, drain off the water, return them to the saucepan, add the butter and mash them; fold in the cheese and the scallions. Season with salt and pepper. When the meat is ready, spoon it into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and level it out with the back of the spoon. Then, spread the mashed potato evenly all over. Bake the pie until the top is crusty and golden, about 45 minutes.