Whilst in England last month, I made Shepherd’s Pie for the British relations with fresh minced lamb. It’s was good, really good. So we gave it another go here at home to reminisce about our trip.
In my opinion, classic Shepherd’s Pie has three main ingredients: meat, veg, potatoes. The great thing is you can mix it up based on whatever you have available. Here’s how we made this one:
Cut 6-8 medium potatoes into quarters and boil (skins on) in salted water until soft. Usually takes about 10 minutes; after that, remove from heat, cover and let stand in hot water. In the meantime, preheat oven to 350 F.
While the potatoes are cooking, brown the meat. For this one, we used a mix of ground beef and ground lamb; about one pound each. First, sauté about 1/2 of a diced medium onion in oil on medium heat until translucent. Then add a minced clove of garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. After about one minute, add the ground meat and stir until nearly browned. Sprinkle with salt and pepper again, and add some dried spices to taste. We use a mix of onion powder, garlic powder and curry powder. Continue to stir and season to taste until fully browned. Then remove from heat and set aside.
By now, the potatoes should be ready. Strain out water and mash with milk, butter, salt and pepper. Everyone makes mashed potatoes to their own liking and this is no different. For example, we whip mascarpone cheese into ours as a partial replacement for butter to create an ultra creamy texture.
Strain (most) of the fat from the cooked meat and toss the grease. Put the strained meat into a baking dish to create the bottom later. Choose the dish size so that the meat is at least an inch or two deep and has plenty of room for the potatoes to go on top. Next, add a generous helping of frozen peas, loosely mixed into meat, and cover uniformly with the mashed potatoes.
Baked uncovered on 350 F for 30 to 40 minutes, until bubbly and browned to your liking. Remove from oven and let stand while making gravy. You can use any gravy that you prefer, but my suggestion is to use Bisto. Yes, it’s an instant gravy from England, but it is quick, easy and perfect for this dish!
Serve on a plate or in a bowl, covered in gravy. Top with ground black pepper and salt to taste. It tastes even better reheated as leftovers the next day …
Little additions can really elevate this dish. For example, try a few drops of truffle oil in the potatoes, a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top for extra toasty browning or a spot of red wine in the Bisto.