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Active Time
30 minutes
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Total Time
1 hour
On paper shepherd’s pie consists of little more than mashed potatoes, ground meat, peas, and carrots. In practice, though, it’s a savorycasserole dish远远超过其部分的总和。这是没有获得der this comfort food is aBritish national treasure.
The use ofground lambin this dishis what distinguishesthe classic from cottage pie (which is usually made with ground beef). If you like you can substituteground turkey(we prefer dark meat) orground chicken. Whatever you choose, brown the meat well with onions and carrots, then simmer withchicken broth,tomato paste, and fresh herbs before tossing in the peas. Top the saucy mixture with a thick, even layer of creamymashed potatoesandBob’s your uncle.
Scraping a fork across the surface gives the potato topping the familiar hatched appearance. When baked, those ridges are more likely to turn crisp in the oven than a flat surface would. Bake the shepherd’s pie until the spuds are golden brown, and make sure to wait a few minutes before digging in—that gravy will be boiling hot and needs a few minutes to cool.
Editor's note:The recipe was originally published in the October 2007 issue of ‘Cookie’ and first appeared on Epicurious in September 2007.
Ingredients
6 servings
Step 1
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Step 2
In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the onion, carrot, and meat. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
Step 3
Drain the fat and add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs. Simmer until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes, then add the peas. Pour the mixture into a 1½-quart baking dish; set aside.
Step 4
Meanwhile, bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.
Step 5
Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk, and salt. Spread potatoes over the meat mixture, then crosshatch the top with a fork. Bake until golden, 30 to 35 minutes.
Instead of using a baking dish for this shepherd's pie recipe, keep the filling in the (ovenproof) sauté pan in which you cook it, top with the crust, and bake it all in the oven for a skillet version that won't dirty another dish. For a sweeter crust, boil a few carrots, parsnips, or a combination with the potatoes.
Leave a Review
Reviews (253)
Back to TopGreat basic recipe. It leaves lots of room for personal preferences. I added parmesan cheese to the potatoes, punched up the herbs, and added a slosh of the previous night's leftover red wine for additional moisture. Wonderful.
Heather
Black Hawk, SD
10/25/2022
Very good! Used ground beef as a personal preference. I was a little liberal with the herbs. Otherwise made per recipe. Will definitely make again.
Julia
Georgia
9/26/2022
Delicious, but two pounds of potatoes is too much, overpowering the meat mixture. Next time, I'll use one-and-a-half or two pounds of meat--I highly recommend ground lamb for this (and adding garlic tot he meat). Two parsnips in with the potatoes made for a tasty, more complex mash.
PatriciaF Toronto ON
1/10/2022
GOOD! grew up on English Shepherd's Pie - the only thing i was missing was more thickness in the bottom, say more of a gravy than jus. I would try with a bit of flour on the beef next time. I used to wing it for Shepherd's Pie but will follow this - more consistent Great flavor will definitely make this again.
SarahG
Fort Worth TX
11/22/2021
Made by the recipe but was out of potatoes so used Idahoan Herb Mashed potatoes for the topping. Tasted great. Will make again and will probably do the Idahoan potatoes again.
Becky R
Rome,Ga
10/28/2021
I am of Irish descent. I've been making this recipe for at least 15 years. Absolutely delicious and authentic. I follow the recipe to the letter. Can also be made dairy free using chicken broth and veg. based butter and its still fantastic.
Btowncooker
NJ
2/19/2021
Awesome. Not sure if I used 2lbs potatoes but whatever it was, I'd use a little less next time. Added worchestershire and 3 cloves garlic. Upped the broth to about 1.5 c and the tomato paste to 2tbsp (for the added broth) so it was a little saucier. It was outstanding.
katefisher5787
12/14/2020
Very good recipe - even when ground lamb is swapped with cubed lamb. Meat portion is exceptionally tasty when stock is coupled with red wine (although not very traditional). I added some shredded cheese on top for extra browning.
aysezeynepkamis8865
Istanbul, Turkey
6/20/2020
This was absolutely phenomenal!!!!
zapp768@gmail.com
NYC
5/24/2020
Delicious! Made no changes, but did add some ketchup when I served it to my boys, who scarfed it up. Now I want to try some of the interesting variations mentioned by other reviewers.
corneliasguest8715
Bethel, CT
5/13/2020
I have been making this recipe for years with the following modifications. I boil whole potatoes until done. It takes longer but cuts down on the “meat” of the potato being saturated. And I use buttermilk when creamIng the potatoes, a trick picked up from Deborah Madison.
wcbbham
Birmingham Alabama
2/20/2020
Typically shied away from Shepherd's Pie (High school cafeteria nightmares) :-) but this was fabulous - substituted corn for peas based on household preference. With winter approaching, will be making this again.
Anonymous
Hamilton, ON
11/11/2019
I substituted spinach for the peas and added in garlic. It came out great!
parker1122
Ohio
10/26/2019
I had a go-to recipe for shepherd’s pie, but couldn’t find it, and I had a bunch of leftover mash, so I googled and found this one. It was delicious! I made it directly from the recipe. My husband loved it, and we ate it with Cross & Blackwell Major Grey’s Chutney on the side...just perfect! Definitely adding this to my regulars, thank you.
KimBoredCook
No. Virginia
3/6/2019
天哪,这是很棒的!充分披露:我讨厌体育ople who review a recipe they've changed, but I did, although mostly in the seasonings. I added four cloves of chopped garlic to the onion and carrot during the sautee, then added 8 oz. of sliced mushrooms. I used a heaping teaspoon of rosemary, and added ~1/4 tea each of ground cinnamon and cumin. I threw in some red wine with the liquid, because I had a half a glass I hadn't finished the night before. I substituted a parsnip for one of the potatoes, and added some pressed garlic to the mash. In all honesty, this would have been a fully satisfying meal without my fairly small changes, which were mostly to seasoning, but with the changes, it was over the top good. We had invited neighbors in, and they raved about it as well, and opined that it was the best Shepard's pie they had ever had. A total winner.
eleanorl
Brooklyn, NY
3/2/2019
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