Today, we’re going to prepare a classic dish from English or Anglo-Saxon cuisine: shepherd’s pie.
This traditional stew features minced lamb as its key ingredient, setting it apart from its counterpart, cottage pie or meat and potato pie, which typically uses a different type of meat.
Shepherd’s pie is a beloved Sunday roast recipe in England, often enjoyed with the whole family. It’s a dish that requires some time and effort but rewards you with delicious flavors that can even be enjoyed as leftovers on Monday.
The minced lamb is cooked alongside vegetables and Worcestershire sauce, creating a rich stew. The meat is then topped with a layer of mashed potatoes and baked in the oven.
While the original recipe doesn’t call for cheese in the mashed potatoes or on the surface, adding grated cheddar cheese can be a delightful variation that enhances the final result. Sprinkling the surface of the mashed potatoes with cheese will surely be a crowd-pleasing addition.
Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients:
Potato Ingredients:
- Milk: half a cup
- Potatoes: 1 kilo
- Salt: three quarters of a teaspoon
- Butter: a quarter cup
- Parmesan cheese: ½ cup (grated)
- Black pepper: 1 teaspoon (crushed)
- Egg yolk: 2 tablets
Ingredients for the meat filling:
- Onion: a cup (chopped)
- Oil: 2 tbsp
- Garlic: 2 cloves (chopped)
- Black pepper: half a teaspoon (crushed)
- Carrots: 2 tablets (peeled and cut into small cubes)
- Lamb meat: 500 grams (small cut)
- Salt: one teaspoon
- Flour: 2 tablespoons (multi-purpose)
- Rosemary: 2 teaspoons (chopped)
- Chicken broth: a cup
- Tomato: 2 tsp
- Worcestershire sauce: a teaspoon
- Pepper: 2 pieces (red, yellow, chopped)
- Thyme: a teaspoon (leaves, minced)
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie: A Crowd-Pleasing Dish
Boil the potatoes until they are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Then, quickly peel them and pass them through a manual vegetable masher.
Meanwhile, heat the milk with the butter until melted, and pour it over the mashed potatoes. Mix it quickly and add the egg yolks, along with a pinch of salt and black pepper. To keep the mixture warm, place the bowl over a water bath.
In a separate saucepan, fry the onions over medium heat until they soften, then add the carrots and stir them in. Next, add the lamb chops and continue stirring until all the ingredients are well combined. Keep stirring the meat pieces until they turn nicely browned, then add the garlic and season it with salt and black pepper.
Sprinkle the meat with flour and add the tomato paste, stirring to thoroughly combine. Pour in the chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, thyme, and paprika. Transfer the mixture into a glass baking dish.
Spread the prepared potato mixture over the top and sprinkle it generously with cheese.
Place the dish in a preheated oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes, or until it boils and develops a golden crust. Once done, remove from the oven and serve it on your trip.
