Shepherd's Pie Recipe: Deliciously Irish (2024)

Irish Recipes | Main Dish | RECIPES | St. Patrick's Day

ByStephanie WilsonMarch 2, 2017April 14, 2023

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An easy comfort food, this Shepherd’s Pie recipe is a delicious potato-topped ground lamb or beef casserole. Which is steeped in a flavorful sauce with vegetables that will bring to mind the beauty of Ireland.

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Shepherd’s Pie

Potato Topped Shepherd’s Pie, quintessentialIrish fare, has been favored by not only the Irish but British as well. So similar are the two, shepherd’s pie and cottage pie, that the only difference is in the meat.

With O’Hara blood running in my veins, our family tends to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day for several days before and after March 17. Shepherd’s pie has a firm hold on our menu that week. Add a wedge of Irish soda bread and a green salad… perhaps an apple cake on the side, and people tend to linger at the dinner table.

Shepherd's Pie Recipe: Deliciously Irish (2)

How to Cook Shepherd’s Pie

While the recipe is written to be cooked in a baking dish or pie plate, it is especially popular to portion the meat and potato topping into individual serving dishes.

Irish Inspiration

Darina Allen, author of “Irish Traditional Cooking” says of shepherd’s pie, “I adore shepherd’s pie — so much so that I would almost cook a roast specifically to make it! Cooking raw minced beef simply doesn’t give the same flavor. Despite its name, in Ireland, shepherd’s pie is almost always made from beef, but you can, of course, use lamb.”

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Potato Topped Shepherd's Pie Recipe: Deliciously Irish

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

An easy comfort food, this Shepherd's Pie recipe is a delicious potato-topped ground lamb or beef casserole. Which is steeped in a flavorful sauce with vegetables that will bring to mind the beauty of Ireland.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
1 lb minced meat (ground lamb or ground beef)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
cracked black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, divided

Mashed Potato Topping

1 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
salt and freshly cracker pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
For Mashed Potatoes: Boil the potatoes in a large saucepan. While the potatoes are cooking begin with the filling.
For Shepherd's Pie Filling: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add onion and chopped carrots. Continue to cook until the onion becomes translucent and the carrots soften. Add garlic and cook another minute. Then add the frozen peas and corn, stirring to incorporate.
To the vegetables add the ground lamb or beef and cook until no longer pink. Then add the tomato paste, broth, thyme, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Italian parsley. Bring the filling to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add additional broth if necessary.
Meanwhile, prepare the mashed potato topping. When the potatoes are fork-tender, about 20 minutes, drain. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the potatoes. Using a potato masher, mash until smooth. Add milk, Parmesan cheese and salt, and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Stir and mash until smooth.
When the meat filling has thickened, transfer to a lightly greased 3-quart baking dish or deep-dish pie plate. Spoon mashed potato topping evenly over the meat mixture, smoothing with the back of a spoon. To give the topping a pretty tough — score the mashed potato in a diamond pattern with the top of a fork.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes have begun to brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.