Recipe for Shepherd's Pie

Known as being iconic among comfort food meals, the Shepherd’s Pie is one of the most beloved meals in Ireland, its birthplace. Shepherd’s Pie has potatoes, meat, and vegetables. Everything you need, all mixed! Served hot is perfect for the colder days in the Winter and if you live your life in a hurry, you can always leave leftovers in your fridge after you chow down this delicious recipe for Shepherd's Pie. If now you’re curious and have never tried Shepherd’s Pie before, read this piece to learn how to make the original recipe. Or, if you prefer, there’s the recipe for a vegetarian option for this delicious dish.

THE HISTORY

To give you a brief contextualisation about how this recipe was made for the first time, we have to go back to the 13th century, when the Norman invaded Ireland and Ireland made an alliance with England. Two centuries after, England took full control of Ireland, uniting it to the Rest of the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, the differences in religious ideologies between the United Kingdom, Protestantism, and most of Ireland’s people, Catholicism, resulted in many Irish citizens to be land workers, sanctioned by the government. As a result of not abdicating their religious, Irish Catholics, now peasants’ workers, lived in humble affordable houses, also called “cottages”, made particularly for the poor. Long story short, somewhere at the beginning of the 18th century, after the potato was introduced to Ireland as being edible and affordable, someone, among the peasants, decided to put mashed potato together with the beef. Although there’s no evidence, it is said that the “Cottage Pie”, the precursor of Shepherd’s Pie, was a way to avoid food waste.

SHEPHERD’S PIE VS COTTAGE PIE

Note that they have many similarities, but “Cottage Pie” is not the same thing as “Shepherd’s Pie”. Cottage Pie was created almost a century before Shephard’s Pie, and it’s made with beef. Shepherd’s Pie is prepared with lamb.

AROUND THE GLOBE

It’s a simple recipe, but Shepherd’s Pie got so popular around the globe, that many countries created their own version of this meal. For instance, in Quebec, is called Pâté chinois and is made with creamed corn. Indonesia has a very similar dish, the Pastel Tutup, and is made with chicken instead of lamb. A St. Stephen’s Day Pie takes turkey rather than lamb or beef. There’s also a version in Britain that includes fish. In France, hachis Parmentier is what comes closest to shepherd’s pie. This French recipe was invented by a pharmacist and nutritionist, Antoine-Augustin, in the late 18th century. Hachis Parmentier used to be prepared with mashed baked potatoes, combined with diced meat and sauce lyonnaise (a French sauce of demi-glace, white wine, vinegar, and onions) and served in the potato skins.  

CLASSIC RECIPE FOR SHEPHERD’S PIE

For the Mashed Potatoes

2 lb or 900g potatoes

½ cup whole milk

6 tablespoons salted butter, diced

1 pinch ground nutmeg

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

For the filling

1½ lb or 700 grams of ground lamb (or mutton)

2 small diced carrots

2 grated onions

3 stalks celery finely diced

3 crushed garlic cloves

2 tablespoons thyme

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon ketchup

1 tablespoon flour

2 cups red wine

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons butter

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

METHOD: Classic Shepherd’s Pie

To make the mashed potatoes, start by cooking the potatoes and leave their skin.

Put them in a large pot filled and add salt to the boiling water. Once the potatoes are cooked, removed them, drain and peel.

Use a potato masher to mix them until it forms a puree.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat the milk until boiling. Gradually add the milk to the mashed potatoes and whisk everything.

Stir in the butter while whisking. Season with nutmeg, pepper and salt and set aside.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of butter and brown the onion over medium heat for about 2 minutes, stirring regularly.

Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the carrots and celery. Mix well.

Add the thyme, tomato paste, ketchup and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Again, mix them well.

Cook on low-medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining butter and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring very little so that the juice does not evaporate.

Add the meat in the vegetable stew and the red wine gradually.

Add the Worcestershire sauce and all the juice of the meat and cook for 1 minute.

Pour all the mixture into a baking pan, spreading evenly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 200 C/ Gas Mark 6 and remove the dish from the refrigerator and gently cover the meat with the mashed potatoes.

Bake for 35 minutes and let it cool off for 10 minutes before serving.

#Shepherd's Pie

VEGETARIAN RECIPE FOR SHEPHERD’S PIE

Ingredients: Recipe for Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

30g dried mushrooms

900g potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks

2 tbsp olive oil

4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and black pepper

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

2 large leeks, washed, trimmed and chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 vegetable stock cube

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp dried oregano

200ml tomato passata

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes

2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

300g frozen peas

300g frozen spinach

METHOD: Veggie Shepherd’s Pie

Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and leave to soak for 15 minutes. Drain the mushrooms but reserve the water.

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with water. Let them boil and then simmer for 10-15 minutes until soft.

Drain and put aside to cool off.

Mash the potatoes together with olive oil, parsley and some salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat the rapeseed oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Add the leeks and onions and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, celery and the soaked mushrooms and cook for another five minutes until softened, stirring occasionally.

Crumble in the stock cube and season with black pepper.

Add the garlic, oregano, tomato passata, paprika, squash and thyme. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for five more minutes.

Add the reserved mushroom stock and the chickpeas. Add the peas and spinach and cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the vegetable mixture into a large baking dish and carefully top with the mashed potatoes.

Preheat the oven to 170˚C/ Gas Mark 4 and let your pie bake for 45 minutes. Wait 10 minutes before serving and enjoy it!