Perfect Shepherd’s Pie
Perfect Shepherd’s Pie ranks right at the top for classic comfort food And for good reason: what’s not to love about a saucy scoop of steaming veggies and beef smothered in fluffy mashed potatoes heaped on your plate?!
There are so many variations on this classic one-dish dinner and, technically, a true Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb, not beef (the correct name for this casserole when made with beef is Cottage Pie, but I would have never known that without researching some history on this famous one-dish meal). If you can find some lamb at your local grocer you could certainly replace the beef in this recipe with that. I’ve also made this recipe with a 50/50 blend of venison and beef and that is equally delicious. Would that then be called Hunter’s Pie?
Fun fact: here in the Midwest, many people will refer to a casserole as a “hotdish”. That was a new term to me when I moved to the Midwest from Canada. If you’re a word nerd like me you can read a bit more about the casserole/hotdish debate here).
What makes this Perfect Shepherd’s Pie perfect is the tantalizing blend of spices (trust me, cumin and Worcestershire sauce make a stunning, if unusual, duo) combined with the creamiest, cheesiest mashed potatoes. No dry Shepherd’s Pie here!
While I love cooking, I don’t love spending a ton of time making a meal that gets eaten in a fraction of the time that it took to make it. So most of the meals I make need to take 30 minutes or less of hands-on time. However, for this meal, I bend the rule. Shepherd’s Pie takes me a little longer to put together than most things I make because I’m slow like that, but it is totally worth every minute of the hands-on prep time. Also, this is a great make-ahead-meal. You can assemble it the night before, then pop it in the oven the next evening and have dinner on the table in a hurry when you need it.
Now, without further ado, let’s get cooking!
Perfect Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
- 13x9 casserole dish
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes:
- 6-8 Russet potatoes peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes to make 6 cups
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- Black pepper freshly ground
Meat and Veggies:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped to make 1 cup
- 3-4 celery stalks sliced thinly to make 2 cups
- 1 bunch green onions trimmed and thinly chopped to make 1/2 cup
- 2 TBLS Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp caraway seeds
- 2 tsp dried Italian herb seasoning no salt, just herbs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 TBLS all purpose flour
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth or water/bouillon mixed according to package instructions.
Instructions
- In a large pot, cover the diced potatoes with water and add the salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, watching carefully so that they don’t over boil. Once the potatoes come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the potato liquid, then carefully drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the pot, and add the cream, milk and butter. Using a potato masher,mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the cheese until well blended. Add fresh ground black pepper to taste.
- While the potatoes are boiling, brown the beef over medium high heat in a 12” frying pan until the meat is no longer pink. Add the celery,carrots, spices and 1 cup of reserved potato water, then sauté together until the carrots are barely fork tender, about 10 minutes.
- Next, sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir to combine. Add the beef broth and simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Meanwhile, begin your oven heating to 375°. Grease a 13x9 baking dish. When the beef and veggie mixture is ready, carefully pour it into the pan. Spread the prepared potatoes evenly over the meat mixture using a spatula.
- Pop the pan into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or untilthe potatoes begin to turn golden and the meat mixture is bubbly.
- Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
There you have it! A simple and delicious recipe for Perfect Shepherd’s Pie. Make it today and it just might become your next family favorite. Feel free to leave a five-star rating if you love this recipe!
Enjoy!
P.S. Are you looking for some more easy family dinners? I think you’ll also love ~
…and don’t forget dessert!
