Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe – How to Make Shepherd’s Pie

What is a Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s pie is a dish made of cooked lamb or mutton topped with mashed potatoes and then baked until the potatoes appear brown and crispy at the top; it is usually baked in a casserole. This type of pie does not require making a pie crust such as in pumpkin pie. The meat filling in Shepherd pie is usually cooked together with some vegetables. The French version of Shepherd pie is called Hachis Parmentier, in this, the mashed potatoes are mixed with egg and cheese. It is my favorite comfort food that is common especially in England, Ireland, and New Zealand. Shepherd’s pie is a commonly made dish for celebrations such as St. Patrick’s Day.

Video of How to Make Shepherd’s Pie

History

Shepherd’s pie originated in the United Kingdom and it got its name from the fact that sheep are catered for by Shepherds and since the pie uses lamb or mutton as a source of minced meat, the recipe was therefore named Shepherd’s pie.

Shepherd’s Pie vs Cottage Pie

Sheperd’s pie and cottage pie are similar in almost all the ingredients for their recipes, the only difference being that cottage pie contains beef as a source of minced or ground meat while shepherd’s pie uses lamb or mutton as a source of meat. Therefore, whenever a pie such as this is made and lamb or mutton is not used, it is appropriate to call it Cottage pie. This is true for Vegan Shepherd pie which doesn’t use meat, it is proper to call it Vegan cottage pie rather than vegan Shepherd’s Pie.

Cottage Pie vs Hachis Parmentier

Cottage pie may look similar to Hachics Parmentier but the two have some little differences. Hachis Parmentier is the French version of Cottage pie but with some additional ingredients. Both Hachis Parmentier and cottage pie use beef as their source of meat and they have similar ingredients; their differences lie in the addition of eggs and cheese to Hachis Parmentier (I guess because the French like cheese a lot, the same way Jamaicans love using Browning and scotch bonnets in their recipes or the way the Asians love Soy sauce).

Shepherd’s Pie Vs Hachis Parmentier

Hachis Parmentier is the French version of Shepherd’s Pie and it has similar ingredients with the addition of gruyere cheese and some eggs.

Ingredients

• 1 kg of ground Lamb or Mutton
• 8 large Potatoes (Yukon Gold or Russet would all do)
• 1/2 tsp of Black pepper powder
• 1/4 tsp of red chili pepper powder
• 1 and 1/2 cup of Lamb stock – makes the pie tasty and not bland.
• 4 medium-sized Carrots (diced)
• 2 sticks of Celery (diced)
• 1 large Onion (chopped)
• 5 fresh sprigs of thyme (chopped)
• 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
• 3 minced Garlic Cloves
• 1 cup of Frozen Peas
• 2 tbsp of Cornflour
• 3 tbsp of Olive
• 1/2 tsp of dried Rosemary
• 4 tbsp of Butter
• 1/2 cup of Milk

How to Make Shepherd’s Pie

1. Cut your potatoes into smaller chunks. This makes it easier to cook in time. You need the potatoes to be properly cooked in order to mash them.
2. After cutting the potatoes, bring them into a large pot and wash them thoroughly and then add some clean water to just cover the top of the potatoes in the pot.
3. Add 1/4 tsp of salt, cover the potatoes and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes or until they are soft and tender. When cooked, the potatoes can be pierced with a fork and the fork goes in easily and can also be removed without being sticky to the potatoes.
4. As the potatoes are cooking, you can start dicing and cutting your vegetables and herbs. Dice the carrots, celery, onions, and fresh sprigs of thyme.
5. After cooking the potatoes, drain the water and then mash the potatoes using a potatoes masher or a potato ricer. You don’t have to stress yourself looking for a potato masher, it can be improvised or you can use any metallic soup spoon or frying spoon and bend it into an L-shape then use it for mashing the potatoes. You can also use a mortar to substitute for a potato ricer or masher; add the potatoes to a mortar and then use the pestle to break and mash the potatoes – you don’t want to pound the potatoes into a paste. Mashing inside of a colander makes it look as if the potatoes were mashed with a ricer. In my case, I am using a frying spoon that was bent into an L-shape and it is doing the job well.
6. After mashing the potatoes, add 4 tbsp of unsalted butter, 1/4 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of black pepper. Mix everything to combine nicely and keep aside.

How to Make Shepherd’s Pie Filling

1. Place a pan on the stovetop and add 3 tbsp of olive oil and allow the oil to heat up.
2. Once heated, add the chopped onions and saute for about 3 minutes until the onion is slightly wilted.
3. Next, add 3 minced garlic cloves, and also saute until it is fragrant.
4. Now, add the remaining vegetables: diced celery sticks and carrots; cook until the carrots are tender. This should take about 3 minutes.
5. Go in with the ground lamb or mutton and use a spatula to break it apart into tiny pieces. You need to do this quickly because once heated, ground lamb or meat can form balls that may be hard to break apart. Cook for 6 minutes until the lamb is no longer pink in color.
6. Season the lamb with dried rosemary, chopped fresh thyme, 1/4 tsp of black pepper, and a pinch of salt.
7. Also, add frozen peas and lamb stock. You can substitute the lamb stock with a mixture of bouillon cubes dissolved in water; you can use a gravy for this also. Stir everything to combine and then cover and cook for 12 minutes until the lamb is tender.
8. Add 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 tsp of red chili pepper for more heat. This is optional if you don’t want pepper. Stir to combine.
9. Next, make a slurry of cornstarch by adding 3 tbsp of water to 2 tbsp of cornflour/cornflour; pour the slurry over the meat filling in the pan and stir immediately to avoid the formation of lumps by the cornflour mixture when heated. The cornstarch helps to thicken the filling of the Shepherd pie. You can easily make cornstarch at home for the thickening of your gravy, soups, curries, or stew.
10. Cover the filling and cook for 2 minutes until it thickens up and then turn off the heat.
11. Pour the filling into a casserole dish or your baking dish.
12. Use a spatula or spoon to level the top of the filling to become flat.
13. Scoop in the mashed potatoes over the filling so that the mashed potatoes completely cover the pie filling. Also, use a spoon to spread the mashed potatoes and then flatten the top.
14. You can use a fork to draw over the top of the mashed potatoes so that it forms stripes. This helps to give a crispy crust to the shepherd’s pie.
15. Preheat your oven to a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or when you notice the golden brown surface of your Shepherd’s pie. You can broil Shepherd’s pie for 10 minutes by taking it closer to the heat to make the mashed potatoes turn brown (if yours doesn’t turn brown after 20 minutes of baking). Please note that direct heating of pyrex and other glasses may break the casserole because of the uneven expansion when exposed to high heat. If your baking pan is not glass or pyrex, you can go ahead and broil. If you are using a glass casserole and you need the top of your Shepherd pie to turn brown, then give it more time to bake normally than broiling it.
16. You can bring it out of the oven and your easy homemade Shepherd’s pie is ready! The crust if crispy while the meat filling is juicy. Shepherd’s pie is really delicious and has the flavor of the lamb or mutton in it making it taste so great that you will want more and more.

Step by Step Procedures with Pictures on How to Make an Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe from Scratch

• Cut your potatoes into smaller chunks for easy cooking

• Add the diced potatoes to a pot

• Add some clean water to completely cover the top of the potatoes in the pot

• Add some salt, cover the potatoes and cook for about 20 minutes or until they are soft and tender

• When cooked, the potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork

• • When cooked, the potatoes can be pierced with a fork and the fork goes in easily and can also be removed without being sticky to the potatoes.

• As the potatoes are cooking, dice the carrots, celery, onions, and fresh sprigs of thyme

• After cooking the potatoes, drain the water

• Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or a potato ricer

You can use a colander with holes at the bottom – this helps the mashed potatoes to pass through the holes giving them the appearance as if they were mashed with a ricer.

• After mashing the potatoes, add unsalted butter, some salt, and black pepper

Also, add milk or cream at this point

Making the Shepherd’s Pie Filling

• Place a pan on the stovetop and add some olive oil

• Add the chopped onions and saute

• Add 3 minced garlic cloves and also saute until it is fragrant

• Add the remaining vegetables

Also, add celery and the fresh sprigs of thyme

• Go in with the ground lamb or mutton and use a spatula to break it apart into tiny pieces.

• Use a spatula to break the ground lamb apart into tiny pieces

• Season the lamb with dried rosemary, thyme, some black pepper, and a pinch of salt

• Add frozen peas and lamb stock

• Season more with Worcestershire sauce and red chili pepper

• Add a thickener to the lamb filling

Stir on low heat immediately to avoid the formation of lumps.

Cover the filling and cook for 2 minutes until it thickens up and then turn off the heat.

The filling is now thickened after the addition of cornstarch

• Pour the filling into a casserole dish or your baking dish

Use a spatula or spoon to level the top of the filling to become flat.

The filling for the shepherd’s pie is leveled

• Scoop in the mashed potatoes over the filling

• Use a spoon to spread the mashed potatoes

• Nicely and evenly spread layer of mashed potato topping

• Make stripes over the potato topping

You can design the top of the mashed potato topping as you like

• Bake the shepherd’s pie

You can bring it out of the oven and your easy homemade Shepherd’s pie is ready! The crust if crispy while the meat filling is juicy.

Nutrition and Calories

A serving of shepherd’s pie contains about 652 calories and 14 grams of carbs, 31 grams of protein, and 50 grams of fats. Other nutrients are 741 mg of sodium and 832 mg of Potassium. There are also iron, calcium, vitamins A and C. The nutrients depend on the ingredients added and would be highly variable.

Variations

Vegan Shepherd’s Pie (Shepherdess pie or shepherdless pie)

Vegan shepherd’s pie is termed Shepherdess pie or shepherdless pie. The variation of vegan shepherd’s pie from the traditional shepherd’s pie is the use of plant-based meat such as Impossible meat or Beyond meat, Quorn mince, or the use of tofu as a substitute for lamb or mutton. In places such as America, the name may still be Shepherd’s pie even when the meat used is not lamb; but in countries like England, Ireland, or New Zealand, this vegan version is best-termed Vegan cottage pie.

The vegan Shepherd’s pie uses milk alternatives such as coconut milk, almond milk, oats milk, or soy milk. For the meat broth or lamb stock, you can substitute this with vegetable broth; dairy-free butter can be substituted for the animal-based butter, while vegan Worcestershire sauce can replace the animal-based Worcestershire sauce.

Pâté chinois

This is a variant of the English shepherd’s pie that uses ground beef instead of lamb and has sweetcorn mixed with cream added between the layer of ground beef below and mashed potatoes above.

Ingredients

Some people may add sweetcorn, cream, or cheese to theirs. Any type of cheese you love can be added, but cheddar is commonly used.

Notes

Shepherd’s pie with gravy

If you are making shepherd’s pie with gravy mix, then no need of adding lamb stock and cornstarch again because the lamb stock and cornstarch are supposed to help make a thick gravy for the shepherd’s pie.

Simply prepare the gravy mix according to package instruction and pour into the meat and vegetables in the pan; stir everything together and allow it to thicken to your desired consistency.

Shepherd’s pie with Instant Potatoes

You can make shepherd’s pie with instant potatoes especially if you don’t have much time or no available fresh potatoes around. All you need to do is to reconstitute the instant potatoes with hot water or hot milk and add other ingredients such as butter and seasonings to the mashed potatoes and you will have an easy shepherd’s pie in no time.

Shepherd’s pie with cheese

Making shepherd’s pie with cheese prevents it from falling apart when you cut a slice out. The cheese also adds some flavor to it. The cheese is usually grated and then sprinkled on top of the mashed potatoes prior to baking the shepherd’s pie in the oven. When heated, the cheese will melt and incorporate with the mashed potatoes and some may go right down to the lamb filling layer. When cooled, the cheese helps make the pie firm and stretchy so that it doesn’t fall apart when sliced.

Shepherd’s Pie Seasoning

The type of seasoning used for your shepherd’s pie recipe determines the taste and flavor you get. Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and some gravy really change the taste you will get, making a good shepherd’s pie. To avoid having a bland-tasting shepherd’s pie, ensure the above seasonings are added to it.

Gluten-free Shepherd’s pie recipe

For a gluten-free shepherd’s pie recipe, avoid using Worcestershire and ensure cornstarch is used as a thickener and not plain flour.

Top Questions Answered

What to serve with shepherd’s pie?

• Glazed carrots
• Some corn salad
• Bread
• Baked beans
• Mushy peas
• Steamed green beans or cabbage
• Roasted cauliflower or Brussels sprouts

What thickness should my Shepherd’s pie be?

Meat filling thickness: when making the filling for the pie, be sure to get the consistency you want before adding to the baking pan because once the filling has been added to the pan, baking does not reduce the liquid or affect the thickness. Using this recipe, your shepherd’s pie thickness should turn out just fine – not too runny otherwise you have a soup instead.

What’s one way to fancy up shepherd’s pie?

One way to fancy up shepherd’s pie is to spread the mashed potatoes over the meat filling and then bake and broil towards the end of your baking time until the mashed potatoes have a nice crust on them, then take it out and drizzle some melted butter over it. It makes the pie delicious!

What vegetables go with shepherd’s pie?

Some vegetables such as carrots, peas, celery, sweetcorn, cabbage, or parsnips can be added to your shepherd pie recipe.

How do you modernize traditional shepherd’s pie?

Well, traditional shepherd’s pie is very good as it is for me, but if you want to modernize it, try using sweet potato topping instead of the traditional mashed potato topping. You can also modernize shepherd’s pie with chicken (boneless and skinless chicken breast) or try it out with some meat of choice that is different from the traditional lamb used in the recipe.

For a healthy modernized shepherd’s pie, you can use cauliflower instead of potatoes – that way, you get to reduce the calories greatly. You simply cook and mash the cauliflower the same way you would the potatoes.

You can also try adding butter and parmesan cheese to the mashed potatoes and it would taste really nice and delicious, though you get more calories.

What makes a good Shepherd’s pie?

To make a good shepherd’s pie you need a good cut of meat; boneless fresh ground lamb, with some diced onions and carrots; season with salt and pepper, and adding some gravy or lamb stock would make a great shepherd’s pie. Without these, you will have a bland-tasting shepherd’s pie.

What meat for shepherd’s pie?

Traditionally, the best meat to use for shepherd’s pie is ground lamb because shepherds herd sheep and therefore, the recipe is called shepherd’s pie; but if you don’t have ground lamb (it is expensive and not commonly available in some regions and countries), you can use ground beef (in this case, it would be called cottage pie). So choosing the meat in order, starting with the best I will go with lamb (it gives your shepherd’s pie a nice lamb meat flavor that is best described when you taste it and compare with other types of meat), the second choice would be beef, then turkey, or you can even try the skinless and boneless chicken.

Can Shepherd’s Pie be Frozen?

If you have some leftover Shepherd’s pie, it can be frozen with the casserole for later use, just make sure you wrap the top with a cling film prior to freezing it. When you want to eat it again, simply allow it to thaw and then cover the top of the casserole with foil paper (to prevent direct heat to the top which may burn it). Place in the oven after covering with foil and reheat for about 10 minutes. If the leftover Shepherd pie is not the whole casserole but slices, you can still wrap them totally with a foil and reheat in the oven or simply use a microwave.

What is beef shepherd’s pie called?

Beef shepherd’s pie is called Cottage pie.