Shepherd’s Pie is a quintessential comfort dish. It’s a great way to use up leftovers and get picky eaters to love their vegetables.
Origins of Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is a quintessential comfort dish deeply embedded in British culinary history. Tracing back to the late 1700s, this hearty creation emerged as a practical solution for using leftover meat, specifically lamb or mutton, combined with vegetables and topped with a generous layer of mashed potatoes. The result was a simple yet satisfying, one-dish meal quickly gaining popularity among shepherds and rural communities.
I had been craving comfort food for quite a while. It was that time of the year when you listened to Carl Off’s O’Fortuna, put your feet in warm fuzzy slippers, and wanted to eat food that made you feel warm inside. Shepherd’s Pie fits the bill. It combines potatoes, beef, veggies, and gravy all in one dish.
There is another interesting story here. My mother, Ruth Louise Burchart Boswell, was born in 1913. When she went to school, there was something called Home Ec. If you were a girl, they taught you basic cooking skills, ironing, cleaning the house, etc. My mother told me the final step was making shepherd’s pie. She did her best, but she didn’t like it, and the teacher didn’t like it either. I suspect that she must have used mutton. I don’t like mutton, although I like spring loin lamb chops. So, until I went to Ye Old Kings Head in Santa Monica, I never had it because my mother had said it was her most hated food. When my dinner companion ordered it, it looked good, so I tasted it and fell in love.
An iron skillet is a great choice for cooking Shepherd’s Pie. Cast iron easily goes from the stovetop to the oven. Cast iron is great at retaining heat, so your casserole will stay nice and warm on the table as well.
Options
The traditional vegetables are carrots, peas, and onions. However, you are free to add your favorite vegetables. I added bell pepper and broccoli to mine, you can add or omit whatever you like.
If there are cheese lovers in your house, you can put shredded cheddar cheese on top before baking it. I’ve done that, and it’s wonderful, too.
Feel free to play with the gravy, too. Add a little red wine to the sauce to boost the flavor.
I hope you will enjoy making this dinner as much as I did. Bon appetite!
Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
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Sheppard’s Pie
Equipment
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Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- 4 Potatos, large, boiled
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup Milk
- 1 tablespoon Sour cream, optional
Filling
- ½ teaspoon *ham base
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 cup Onion, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
- ½ cup Carrots, chopped
- ½ cup Bell pepper, chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- ½ teaspoon Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, Freshly ground
- 8 oz peas
- 1 cup broccoli florets
Gravy
- 1 tablespoon Red wine
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon *Beef base
- ½ cup Water, boiling
- ⅓ cup Flour
Topping
- 1 cup Cheddar, optional grated
- 1 cup peas, optional
Instructions
- Mise en place
Potatoes
- 4 Potatos, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon Sour creamYou can boil the potatoes in water on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. When the potatoes are done, drain them and put them into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the butter and salt. Stir the potatoes so the butter distributes evenly. Add the sour cream.
- 1/2 cup MilkGradually add the milk, all the while beating. Watch the consistency of the potatoes as you may or may not need all the milk. When the potatoes are completely mixed, turn the mixer to whipping mode and whip them for about 10 seconds. Set the potatoes aside.
Filling
- 1/2 teaspoon ham base, 1 tablespoon unsalted butterPut butter and ham base in a cast iron skillet and heat the skillet on medium until the butter starts to melt.
- 1 cup Onion, 2 cloves Garlic, 1/2 cup Carrots, 1/2 cup Bell pepperAdd the onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and continue to sauté.
- 8 oz peas, 1 cup broccoli florets, 1 pound ground beefWhen the garlic has softened, but not browned, add the peas and broccoli and move all the vegetables to the sides of the pan and add the ground beef. Break the beef and stir it to completely cook it.
- 1/2 teaspoon Thyme, 1/2 teaspoon Paprika, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/3 cup FlourAdd the spices to the pan and stir them into the beef. Add the flour and stir.
- 1 tablespoon Red wine, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 teaspoon Tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon Beef base, 1/2 cup WaterPut the beef base into a heat-proof measuring cup and add the water, red wine, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir well to combine.
- Pour the mixture into the pan and stir until the gravy thickens.
Topping
- 1 cup Cheddar, 1 cup peasSpread the potatoes over the filling. If you wish, leave an inch of space all around and fill that space with peas. You can top the mashed potatoes with cheese if you wish.
- Bake the casserole in a 350 °F (177 °C) oven for about 30 minutes or until the gravy is bubbling and the top has started to brown.
Hey, Nice work! This is my first time i visit here. I discovered so numerous fascinating stuff in your blog.
Anibal, thanks for visiting. I’m glad you found so many good things. Please be sure and stick around, there’s going to be some really cool stuff this Halloween, 2011.