Ingredients
- Shepherd’s Pie
- You can use ground beef or lamb in this traditional British dish. If you don’t want to take the time to brown the mashed potatoes, you can make Mince and Tatties which is just serving the beef over mashed potatoes. You can also make Shepherd’s Pie the day before and bake it before you serve it or freeze it.
- Serves 6
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 lb. ground beef or ground lamb
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 can beef broth
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 tablespoons Bisto
- 4 tablespoons water
- 6 russet potatoes, peeled (optional) and cut into 1-inch pieces
- ¼ cup butter
- 1/3 cup milk or half and half
- 3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375.
In a large skillet, add olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is no longer pink. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire, beef broth and carrots. Add water if needed to cover the beef by ½-inch. Cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the carrots are cooked.
In a small bowl mix Bisto and water together. While stirring, add the Bisto and bring to a boil. The sauce should be gravy like. If it is not thick enough, make another Bisto slurry and add a little at a time until it is the right consistency. If it is too thick, add a little water. Cook for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan add water, salt and potatoes and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook the potatoes until they are easily pierced by the tip of a knife. Drain and return to pan. Add butter and milk and mash with a potato masher until there are no lumps. Add salt and pepper to taste. Allow mashed potatoes to cool a little.
If you would like a little more color to the top of the mashed potatoes, whisk an egg yolk and with a pastry brush, brush the top of the potatoes an sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before you put it in the oven.
Oil a casserole dish and put beef mixture in. Gently place mashed potatoes over the entire surface and bring the mashed potatoes to the edges so the beef doesn’t bubble through. Use a pastry brush and brush the egg yolk over the top of the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
