Choose Strong
For Tim.
I gathered the ingredients over the St. Paddy's weekend and Monday morning, I
told Tim who had the day off that we would cook a shepherd's pie for supper. At
around 4:30pm, we set to work. I started sauteing the onion and he took over the
potatoes. The teenager told me that he didn't care much about holidays. But
since he came down to help in the kitchen, he sure wouldn't mind the pie.
I had never cooked any Irish dish at home (except for mash potatoes, if it can
be called exclusively Irish) and the last time I ate one was during a New Year
break in South Lake Tahoe. It was a bleak windy day and the ski lift was canceled.
Tourists tried to get indoors to stay warm and every shop was full. At the north
end of the main street, we finally secured a table in a tiny bistro and, after
waiting for what seemed like ages, devoured a good-sized sizzling pie (Tim's
choice and we shared) served in in a cast-iron skillet. I was swept off my feet.
Today following a recipe (see below) by Amanda Finks, we hit an instant success.
The mash potato was baked to a dark caramel around the edge with a mouth-
watering smell of cheese. The meat filling melted in the mouth and tasted sweet
although we added no sugar. Between the two of us, we polished the last morsel.
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Course: Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Irish
Keyword: Classic shepherd's pie, How to make shepherd's pie, Shepherd's Pie Recipe
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 400kcal
Author: Amanda Finks
- Ingredients
- Meat Filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 lb. 90% lean ground beef -or ground lamb
2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves -minced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots*
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
- Potato Topping:
1 1/2 - 2 lb. russet potatoes -about 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
8 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 stick
1/3 cup half & half
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- Instructions
- Make the Meat Filling.
1. Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2
minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart
with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and
pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned,
stirring occasionally.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps
of tomato paste remain.
5. Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid
to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Make the potato topping.
1. Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring
the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork
tender, 10-15 minutes.
2. Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let
the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining
liquid.
3. Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the
potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
4. Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.
- Assemble the casserole.
1. Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out
into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat.
Carefully spread into an even layer.
2. If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so
that the filling doesn’t bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for
25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
* If you can’t find frozen mixed peas and carrots, you could use 1/2 cup frozen
peas and 1/2 cup frozen sliced carrots.
**Bake at 400° F. Start preheating the oven after you make the meat mixture
(listed in step 6).
covering them with water before I came home. :-)
The recipe looks daunting, but neither mash potato nor the filling is hard. It was our first time but the taste was simply amazing. We'll do it again next week. You might want to practice a bit so that you can impress anyone when the time comes :-)
Here's the best part. I did some calculation and came up with $16 for our Monday's meal. Most Irish pubs would charge over $40 for that amount!
Cheers!