🥧🥩 Shepherd’s pie
Shepherd’s pie is a classic comfort dish made with a savory minced meat base topped with creamy mashed potatoes, then baked until golden. Traditionally it uses lamb (hence “shepherd”), but beef versions are also common (often called cottage pie).
🧾 Ingredients
🥩 Meat filling
- 500g ground lamb (or beef)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup peas (optional)
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 tbsp oil
- Salt & black pepper
🥔 Mashed potato topping
- 4–5 potatoes (peeled and chopped)
- 2–3 tbsp butter
- ½ cup milk
- Salt & pepper
👩‍🍳 Method
1. Make mashed potatoes
- Boil potatoes until soft.
- Mash with butter, milk, salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Set aside.
2. Cook meat filling
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Sauté onion, carrot, and garlic until soft.
- Add ground meat and cook until browned.
- Stir in tomato paste, salt, and pepper.
- Add stock and simmer until thick.
- Mix in peas (if using).
3. Assemble
- Spread meat mixture into a baking dish.
- Top evenly with mashed potatoes.
- Rough up the surface with a fork (helps crisping).
4. Bake
- Bake at 200°C (390°F) for 20–25 minutes
- Top should be golden and slightly crispy
🍽️ Serving ideas
- With gravy on the side 🍲
- With steamed vegetables 🥦
- With a simple salad 🥗
đź’ˇ Tips
- Let filling thicken so it doesn’t become watery
- Forking the top creates crispy browned peaks
- Add cheese on top for extra richness 🧀
⚡ Quick 3-step version
- Cook meat filling
- Make mashed potatoes
- Layer and bake
If you want, I can also give you a cheesy shepherd’s pie version, a sweet potato topping upgrade, or a low-carb cauliflower shepherd’s pie.
