Shepherd’s pie, a classic comfort food, is a hearty and flavorful dish that has been enjoyed for centuries. Originating in the United Kingdom and Ireland, this iconic dish features a rich, savory filling of ground lamb or beef, mixed with vegetables and a flavorful gravy, topped with a creamy, cheesy mashed potato crust. The combination of the succulent meat filling and the creamy mashed potato topping creates a delightful contrast in textures and flavors that is sure to satisfy the taste buds. Shepherd’s pie is a versatile dish that can be customized to suit personal preferences, with variations including different types of meat, vegetables, and seasonings. This article presents a collection of top-rated shepherd’s pie recipes that offer a variety of options to suit every palate. From traditional to modern interpretations, these recipes provide step-by-step instructions to guide home cooks in creating this classic dish in their own kitchens. So, gather your ingredients, preheat your oven, and embark on a culinary journey to discover the deliciousness of shepherd’s pie.
Here are our top 5 tried and tested recipes!
SHEPHERD'S PIE
When you're in the mood for a meaty, savory comfort-food classic, serve Alton Brown's Shepherd's Pie from Good Eats on Food Network.
Provided by Alton Brown
Categories main-dish
Time 1h30m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.
- Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
BEST CLASSIC SHEPHERD'S PIE RECIPE
The Best Classic Shepherd's Pie - AKA Shepards Pie or Cottage Pie. Ground Beef (or lamb) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked.
Provided by Amanda Finks
Categories Dinner Entree Main Course
Time 1h10m
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
- 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.
- Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 /6th of the recipe, Calories 400 kcal, Carbohydrate 13 g, Protein 19 g, Fat 30 g, SaturatedFat 15 g, Cholesterol 97 mg, Sodium 751 mg, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 2 g
SHEPHERD'S PIE VI
This Shepherd's Pie is a layered casserole of beef, carrots, and potato.
Provided by Jacquie
Categories Main Dish Recipes Savory Pie Recipes Shepherd's Pie Recipes
Time 50m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash. Mix in butter, finely chopped onion and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)
- Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Pour off excess fat, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish. Next, spread a layer of mashed carrots. Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 451.8 calories, Carbohydrate 52.5 g, Cholesterol 64.5 mg, Fat 17 g, Fiber 7.3 g, Protein 23.1 g, SaturatedFat 7.3 g, Sodium 294.6 mg, Sugar 5.8 g
SHEPHERD'S PIE
Shepherds are in the business of herding sheep, which makes lamb the most obvious choice for this pie, but ground beef is a tasty addition. The combination of ground lamb and ground beef is earthy and robust, and keeps lamb's gaminess in check. Ground lamb tends to be fatty, so this recipe uses lean ground beef to compensate. If you prefer all beef, be sure to use something with a little more fat. And if you prefer all lamb, you may want to skim off some of the extra fat after browning the meat.
Provided by Samantha Seneviratne
Categories casseroles, meat, main course
Time 1h30m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 17
Steps:
- In a large pot, bring a gallon of water and 2 tablespoons salt to a boil over high heat. Add potatoes to boiling water and boil for about 15 to 20 minutes, until soft; a knife should go in with almost no resistance.
- In a small saucepan or a microwave oven, heat 6 tablespoons of the butter and milk together until butter melts. Drain potatoes well and return to pot. Using a masher or a ricer, mash hot potatoes until smooth. Mix in the hot butter mixture, just until blended. Stir in the Cheddar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large oven-safe skillet with high sides or an enameled cast-iron braiser (at least 2 1/2-quart capacity) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, thyme and rosemary and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are just tender, about 10 minutes. Add the beef and the lamb and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until it is no longer pink. (At this point, you can drain off some of the excess fat if you like.) Season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato paste and stir, cooking until it is well combined, another 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook for 1 minute. Add the beef stock and cook, stirring, until the liquid has thickened slightly. Stir in the parsley and remove the thyme and rosemary stems. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Top the meat mixture with dollops of the mashed potatoes then spread them out over the top. (Or transfer the meat mixture to a 3-quart casserole dish and spread into an even layer, and top with potatoes.) Transfer to the oven and, if the mixture is at the top edges of your pan, set a foil-lined baking sheet underneath the pan to catch any drips. Bake the pie until the potatoes have begun to brown and the edges are bubbling, about 30 minutes. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 726, UnsaturatedFat 19 grams, Carbohydrate 46 grams, Fat 48 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 31 grams, SaturatedFat 24 grams, Sodium 1073 milligrams, Sugar 6 grams, TransFat 2 grams
BEST SHEPHERD'S PIE
This is the best shepherds pie recipe I've ever had, and it comes from a friend who was a whiz at pinching pennies without sacrificing hearty flavor.-Valerie Merrill, Topeka, Kansas
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Dinner
Time 50m
Yield 10 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream. Add salt and pepper; set aside. In a large skillet, cook beef with onion and red pepper until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir garlic salt into meat mixture. Stir in the soup, corn and milk. , Spread meat mixture into a 13x9-in. baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes; drizzle with butter. , Bake, uncovered, until heated through, 30-35 minutes. For additional browning, place under broiler for a few minutes. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 378 calories, Fat 17g fat (9g saturated fat), Cholesterol 69mg cholesterol, Sodium 626mg sodium, Carbohydrate 33g carbohydrate (5g sugars, Fiber 3g fiber), Protein 21g protein.
Tips for Making the Best Shepherd's Pie:
- **Choose high-quality ground beef:** Opt for 80/20 ground beef for a juicy and flavorful shepherd's pie. - **Brown the beef thoroughly:** Cook the beef over medium-high heat until it's browned and no longer pink. This step helps develop flavor and prevent the meat from becoming dry. - **Use a variety of vegetables:** Incorporate a mix of vegetables like carrots, celery, onions, and peas for a more nutritious and flavorful filling. - **Season the filling generously:** Don't be afraid to season the filling with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and other herbs and spices. This will enhance the overall flavor of the dish. - **Use a creamy and flavorful sauce:** Whether you prefer a classic gravy or a creamy bechamel sauce, make sure it's rich and flavorful to complement the savory filling. - **Top with a crispy mashed potato crust:** The mashed potato topping should be creamy and smooth, yet firm enough to hold its shape. For a golden brown crust, brush the top with melted butter before baking.Conclusion:
Shepherd's pie is a classic comfort food that's easy to make and loved by people of all ages. With its hearty filling, creamy sauce, and crispy mashed potato crust, it's a perfect meal for a cold winter night or a casual family dinner. By following these tips, you can create a delicious and unforgettable shepherd's pie that will be a hit with everyone at the table. So, grab your ingredients, preheat your oven, and get ready to embark on a culinary adventure that will leave your taste buds dancing!
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