Just to clear up any misunderstandings and avoid any wasteful comments, traditional shepherd’s pie is made with minced lamb, and if you use minced beef it’s called cottage pie. That said, if you watch the video below you’ll see that I am very clear about saying that this recipe is not traditional in any way as I just used leftovers from the night before.
You will need…
1 pound ground beef (Moderate)
1/2 tablespoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
Leftover steak (option)
1 large onion (diced)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 sprigs of thyme
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-2 cups beef stock
1 1/2 cups mixed vegetables (frozen)
1 cup gravy (option)
1/2 cup cooked mushrooms (option)
5 cups mashed potatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Note. Check out the video below for a detailed explanation: The gravy, steak, and mushrooms were all made using leftover ingredients I had. (including mashed potatoes) the night before. Optionally, mix in 1/2 cup (grated) Your favorite cheese and the “Caribbean” in you will want a teaspoon or so of green seasoning when grilling grown beef.
First, place the ground beef in a wide nonstick skillet over medium heat. You’ll notice the word “medium” in the ingredients list. In Canada, there are mostly three grades of ground beef: Regular (The fattiest)Moderate (low fat) And as the name suggests, it’s “Lean.” I used ground beef that was a little bit fatty, so I started with a dry skillet. If you use lean beef, turkey, or chicken, you’ll need to add at least 1 tablespoon of your favorite oil first.
I fried the beef breaking it up with a spatula until it browned, which took about 7-10 minutes. I don’t like coarse ground beef.
At this point I added the rest of the steak. (Cut into small pieces) And mushrooms.
Next, add the onion, thyme leaves, black pepper, and salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and saute for 3 minutes. Basically, saute the onion until it is soft, then add the flour and stir well to get rid of the raw smell of the flour. After 2-3 minutes, add the tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes. I don’t like rosemary, but you can add a teaspoon or so. (chopped).
If you don’t use gravy (leftovers) I need to add a bit more beef broth.I add 1 1/2 cups of Worcestershire sauce, then add the frozen vegetables. (corn, peas, beans, carrots)Stir well and bring to a boil.
At this point I added the remaining gravy. (The green peppercorn gravy was so flavorful I didn’t want to waste it.)By the way, the addition of grilled steak gives the finished pie a gentle smoky aroma from the grill.
Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Add more beef stock if necessary.
At this point, taste it and adjust the salt to your liking and decide how thick you want the meat sauce to be. I reduced it by about 1/3.
Pour the cooked beef into an 8 x 10 ovenproof dish. Before proceeding, preheat your oven to 400F.
Scoop the mashed potatoes (room temperature) Sprinkle the beef mixture with parsley but do not smooth it out yet. Mix the parsley and Parmesan together and scatter it all over the surface of the potato layer then smooth it out. As I mentioned in the video, I wanted it to be grooved so that the finished shepherd’s pie would be golden brown.
To prevent overflow, place the baking dish on a cookie sheet or tray and place on the center rack of the oven for 30 minutes. (without cover)Be sure to check the color after 25 minutes as your oven may get a little hot, I used the convection setting on my oven so I reduced the temperature by about 10 degrees.
When you’re done (Note that my mashed potatoes had salt in them and contained milk, black pepper, butter and roasted garlic)Let rest for 15-20 minutes before serving. This isn’t a traditional shepherd’s pie, but I guarantee you’ll be super proud when you serve it.
Growing up in the Caribbean, what we called shepherd’s pie always had ground beef in it. I don’t recall ever seeing ground lamb for sale. Yes, even as a little girl, I would go to the markets and stores with my mom. Enjoy!