Shepherd's Pie
Shepherd's Pie
Sarah Butler
Servings
6
Shepherd Pie is an old-school recipe families have loved for decades. As popular with families now as years ago, the best recipes never go out of fashion.
What I love about Shephard’s Pie is that it can be prepared early or the day before and popped into the oven to bake for a stress-free and delicious family dinner. Perfect for those busy days when afterschool activities and homework can eat into dinnertime prep.
Packed with vegetables to nourish everyone, it is pure comfort in a bowl. Shephard’s pie is always my go-to early in the week to get us off to a good start, especially in winter when time seems to slip away with those short dark evenings.
Everything can be prepared in one large casserole pot, so there is little cleanup for those who don’t have time for faffing in the kitchen. It can be cooked and baked in the same casserole pot by popping the mash on top and baking in the oven. One-pot dinners are always a joy to take from the oven, bubbling and filling the house with smells of comfort.
For this coming week, give this recipe a try. I am pretty sure it will become a firm favourite in your home and fill everyone up for hours!
Ingredients
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4 tbsp olive oil
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2 Ibs round steak mince
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2 rashers chopped into very small pieces
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1 beef OXO cube crushed
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Salt & freshly ground black pepper
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25 g butter
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1 onion diced
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3 carrots diced
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1 parsnip diced
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1 stick of celery diced
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1 garlic clove crushed
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60 ml white wine (optional)
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1 tbsp self-raising or plain flour
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2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
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1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme
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1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
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2 tbsp tomato purée
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1 bay leaf
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Handful frozen peas
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¾ - 1 pint chicken stock
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7-8 medium-large potatoes (topping)
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50 g cheddar (topping)
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1 egg yolk (topping)
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40 ml warm milk (topping)
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25 g butter (topping)
Directions
Preheat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1
While preparing the filling, cook the potatoes until tender, mash with a little butter and milk, egg yolk and cheese and season well.
To make the filling.
Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a frying pan on high heat and cook mince and rashers until browned all over.
Add a crushed OXO beef stock cube to mince and rashers and season with salt and pepper:
Set aside.
In the same frying pan add 2 tbsp olive oil and 25 g butter on medium-high heat, brown off onion, carrots, parsnips and celery for 2 minutes then add garlic and cook for a further 1 minute.
Add 60 ml white wine (if using) and allow to burn off almost completely.
Return meat to vegetables in frying pan and add 1 tbsp flour and combine all ingredients.
Add Worcestershire sauce, herbs and tomato purée.
Add enough chicken stock to just cover the meat and vegetables, stir and bring to a simmer:
Add bay leaf & season with salt and pepper.
Simmer on the hob for 20 minutes on a low heat covered, or for a slow cooking option, transfer to an oven-proof casserole dish or pot and cook on medium for 2-3 hours.
Add the peas as the end to maintain their colour.
Add meat and vegetable mixture into serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley.
Remove and dispose of bay leaf.
Add potatoes to the meat dish to make an even layer, and decorate with a fork along the top.
Cook in oven at 180C/160C fan/gas 4 for 20 minutes or until golden.
Recipe Note
I am often asked, ‘Why does the potato top seem to melt into the meat part of a Shephard’s pie? A tip I can share with you for the perfect separation of meat and mash is to let the meat filling cool just a little before adding the mash on top. This method stops the mash from running into the hot gravy of the filling.
I like to make two family portions at a time; it takes the same effort when the mess is being made, so save yourself another day’s dinner! Freeze for 3 months and keeps refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Shephard’s Pie on a Sunday and can keep it in the fridge for a handy dinner until Wednesday or Thursday..just when the week’s eating can go a little off track!
