Shepherd’s Pie Just Like Grandma’s…But Faster

You may have heard and tried Shepherd’s Pie before, but perhaps you may have never tried making it, out of fear of messing up. This recipe is not hard at all and it is in fact one of the things I find most fun to make.

To make this Shepherd’s pie I used pre-made ingredients because it was convenient and saves time after a long day out or at work. However, it is a matter of choice.

Shepherd’s Pie

You can use fresh carrots and chop them. You can also use fresh peas. Same goes with your choice of mashed potatoes. For an easy way to make delicious mashed potatoes, try this one out.

Keep in mind this recipe has been modified by me, it’s my take on what an easy-to-make delicious Shepherd’s pie should look like. You can alternate the type of meat you use, sometime I go with turkey for a leaner dish, or you can even skip the meat altogether and use a ground veggie, like zucchini, or falafel mix, to make it vegetarian.

This time, I used my small toaster oven, but you can use your gas or electric oven any time. While some people don’t necessarily believe it’s necessary to saute the ingredients beforehand, I recommend it for better taste.

Ready? Let’s get started!

Shepherd’s Pie

Prep time: 20-25 minutes / Cook time: 25 minutes / Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lb ground beef
• 100 g mashed potatoes
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups peas and diced carrots
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 diced yellow onion
• 1 tablespoon Worchester sauce
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 t olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 chopped sprig rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients

Equipment

• 1 deep skillet
• 1 medium pot
• 1 baking pan

Instructions

1. On your deep skillet, put olive oil and garlic to heat on low. While you do this, place your washed onion and chop it into small squares. Once oil is warm, saute your onions until golden, about 3 minutes.

Onions

2. When your onion looks golden, add the ground beef to the skillet, as it begins to cook, add the flour and mix. Cook thoroughly for about 3 minutes, add leaves of rosemary to mix. Place on low heat and cover for around 10 more minutes until it is heavy– you can always add more water if it’s too heavy.

Onions and meat

3. While your meat is simmering, you can cook your mashed potatoes. Since I used a prepared mix, I just added water, butter and a bit of nutmeg on top. These are done fairly fast, and I just check for salt and pepper at the end, but if you want to make your own mashed potatoes, I suggest something like this.

Mashed potatoes

4. Since I used frozen vegetables, I warmed them up in the medium pot with 2 cups of water for about 3 minutes. Once warm, I drained them.

5. After the vegetables are warm, add them to the meat and sauté everything together for about 5 more minutes.

6. Now it’s time to add tomato paste, Worchester sauce, chicken broth and thyme. Mix together for another 3 minutes or less. You can now start preheating your oven to 400°

7. Place the meat and vegetable mix on the baking pan. Immediately after, cover your meat with the mashed potatoes, begin with the ends and work your way up to the middle. Use a wooden spoon, or spatula, to ensure it’s all equally smooth.

8. Put the baking pan on your now-heated oven for about 25 minutes or until mashed potatoes look gold and crispy on top.

9. Take out and let it air a bit. Serve and enjoy!

I particularly like this recipe because it allows you to walk around, to other things, and then come home to a nice smell and delicious meal. It is also good when you have people over and if you have a large oven, as it fills you up and is as costly to make.

Ready to Prepare this New Take on a Classic?

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and that you feel ready to take on this classic. As I mentioned before, this is my take on a known dish, I use beef because I find it easier, but this recipe is usually lamb. You can also change up your meat and feel free to add another veggie as well.

Try accompanying your dish with a good red wine. Now that it is getting colder, this a meal that will warm and surprise everyone up. And if you’re cooking to yourself, or just another person, don’t worry, it lasts long and can be heated up in the oven for leftovers.

Let me know what you think! I want to hear if you made it and if you’d anything else. Enjoy!

P/S: I am participating in this Inheritance Recipes challenge, which is organized by Pebble Soup and Coffee & Vanilla. You can check it out by visiting their blogs.