Shepherd's Pie
This timeless classic is traditionally made with lamb, using beef mince instead in this Shepherd's Pie recipe still makes for a tasty meal.
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Servings: 6
Ingredients
Pie Base
- 750g (1.5 lb) Lamb or Beef Mince
- 2 TBSP Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, finely diced
- 1 Carrot, finely chopped
- 1 Celery Stalk, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Frozen Peas
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Dried Parsley
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- ¼ cup (35g) Plain Flour
- ¼ cup (55g) Tomato Paste
- 2 cups (500ml) Beef Broth/Stock
- ½ cup (125ml) Water or Red Wine
- 1 Cube Beef Bouillon, crumbled
- 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Mashed Potato
- 1.2 kg (2.2 lb) Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1 " cubes
- ⅔ cup (165ml) Milk
- 2 TBSP (30g) Butter
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3 TBSP Parmesan, grated
- 1-2 tsp Thyme Leaves, optional
Instructions
Pie Mince Mixture
- Over medium heat, heat oil in a large frypan or saucepan.
- Add the diced onion, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, parsley, thyme and rosemary to the pot and continue to cook for 3 minutes until softened.
- Turn up the heat to high and add the mince. Break up the mince as it browns.
- Mix in the plain flour.
- Add the tomato paste, broth, red wine (or water), bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce and stir well.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, then decrease the heat slightly so that it is simmering rapidly.
- Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture reaches a consistency of thick gravy.
- Stir through peas.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Mashed Potatoes
- Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft.
- Drain then return to the pot, allowing them to steam dry for around 1 minute.
- Add the butter and mash until melted and mixed through.
- Add the milk, salt and pepper. Mash until mixed through. The mixture should be soft and smooth, but not slopping. More milk can be added, if needed.
Assembling the Pie
- Preheat oven to 180˚C or 350˚F.
- Transfer the mince mixture to a baking dish - around 7x11 inch.
- Gently spread the mash onto the top of the mince and use a fork to draw on the surface.
- Sprinkle with parmesan and thyme.
- Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling around the edges.
- Stand for 5 minutes before serving.
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Notes
- After cooking the mince filling, you can cool it in the fridge for 2 hours or even overnight. This will help stop the potato from weeping into the filling and makes spreading the potato easier. You can also pop the mince filling into the freezer while you make the potato topping.
- Thicken the sauce to your desired consistency while cooking the filling. It will not thicken any more. The consistency that you pour it into the baking dish at, is the consistency that it will be when it is finished cooking.
- If your potatoes are a bit watery, make sure that you drain them properly and that you allow the potatoes to steam as this will help decrease the amount of water in the potatoes when mashing.
- Other vegetables can be used, such as grated zucchini, spinach or frozen mixed vegetables.
- For a gluten free option, take out the plain flour and use a mixture of cornflour with a small amount of water instead. Also, check your Worcestershire sauce as it may not be gluten-free. If not, leave it out.
- This recipe can be made ahead. Just assemble and refrigerate or freeze and bake when needed. It will take longer to cook, when baked from a frozen state. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. The values may vary according to the ingredients and tools that are used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed information.