Josie Thiele, CHN Nutritionist: “Shepherd’s Pie was a classic comfort food in my home growing up. Every Christmas Eve we would prepare a Shepherd’s Pie for dinner, freezing portions to reheat during the winter months.”
- Shepherd’s Pie is an Irish dish made of ground meat cooked in gravy with mixed veggies topped with a mashed potato crust.
- Shepherd’s pie has been a staple in Ireland since the 1700s. It is a great way to use meat and vegetables before they go bad. Back then lamb was more on hand for Irish shepherds and used for this meal.
- In Britain, they changed it to make “cottage pie”, which used beef, a more costly and pleasing cut of meat at the time.
Try using other meat or veggies you have on hand. Instead of lamb, try beef, lentils, or meat alternatives (like Beyond Meat).
Recipe
Ingredients:
For the Potatoes:
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup of milk
- 2 tbsp greek yogurt or sour cream
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp of pepper
For the Filling:
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 pound of ground lamb/protein*
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp thyme, chopped
- 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups low sodium broth (beef or vegetable)
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
Directions:
For the Potatoes:
- Add the potatoes to a medium sized sauce pan and cover with water.
- Boil potatoes for ~8-10 minutes until they are fork tender.
- Drain and return to sauce pan.
- Add butter, greek yogurt, milk, salt and pepper to the potatoes.
- Mash until smooth.
For the Filling:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat oil, ground meat, salt, and pepper in a large skillet over high heat.
- Once the meat has browned, add in onion, garlic, and mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Stir in thyme, rosemary and tomato paste and cook for ~ 1 minute.
- Add in flour and cook for another minute, keep stirring.
- Add the broth, allowing to a simmer for 3 minutes until liquid is reduced.
- Stir in frozen peas, carrots, and corn and remove from heat.
- Spread filling onto a baking dish.
- Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the filling.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the filling is bubbling out on the edges.