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Recipe No. 06 · Family Favorites

Family Favorites

Classic Shepherd's Pie

This is what I make when the weather turns and everyone needs something that feels like a blanket.

Serves 6 Comfort
Shepherd's pie with a golden potato crust just out of the oven, gravy bubbling at the edges like it cannot wait

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb ground lamb (or beef)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef or lamb stock and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 4 tbsp butter and 1/2 cup warm milk
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash with butter and milk, and season well.
  2. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet. Brown lamb, breaking it up, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  3. Cook onion, carrots, and celery in the same pan until softened, 8 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook 1 minute.
  4. Return lamb to pan with stock and Worcestershire. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in peas and season.
  5. Spread mashed potatoes over the filling, fluff with a fork for crispy edges, and brush lightly with melted butter if you like.
  6. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden and the filling bubbles at the edges.
“Make the filling a day ahead if you can. Dot the potatoes on right before baking and you look like a genius at dinner time.” Heather Holiday