How to Make: The Ultimate Shepherd’s Pie
You’re gonna want to make this shepherd’s pie over and over again.
This shepherd’s pie recipe is actually what got me into cooking. I was in Edinburgh, still a student, and I was going to the business district to apply for a visa to go to China that summer. As a student, I was a bit envious of working people. I wanted to make my own money, wanted to stop learning stuff that I knew I’d never use. When you’re not working full-time yet, there’s a certain allure to walking around in a suit, making money and getting stuff done. So, to experience this feeling for myself, I decided I’d go to a typical corporate lunch place, the one where you get a quick meal with your finance buddies. As fate would have it, the special that day was shepherd’s pie.
I took a shepherd’s pie to-go and went back to my student life. It was late winter, a time when Edinburgh’s wind is constantly threatening to sweep you all the way to Glasgow and not really cold anymore, but definitely not warm either. What I needed was something hearty, some kind of hefty comfort food. I had this shepherd’s pie in a cold, rather gray library. However, the moment I started eating it I had this distinct feeling of sitting in front of a warm fireplace, in some beautiful part of rural England. Frankly, it felt like home.
I know what you’re thinking. “But British food sucks! The British don’t know what good food is!” This is one of the most misguided statements I’ve ever come across in cooking. British meals like fish & chips, bangers & mash, and shepherd’s pie are the best comfort meals out there, they just can’t be topped. They’re much more down to earth than cuisines like Italian and French, much more accessible and just as flavorful, if not more. I urge everyone to explore British cuisine and the amazing history behind them: you will be pleasantly surprised!
Shepherd’s pie is the ultimate comfort food. It’s a beautiful mix of lamb mince and vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes. It’s perfect for when you need something warm, when you’re sick of worrying about calories, when you want to feel at home no matter where you are. But to be honest, you can have it anytime and it’ll take all your worries away. I spent countless hours at university heavily procrastinating in search of the perfect recipe, and this recipe has never disappointed.
This is the best comfort food you will ever have. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
1/2-1 onion
3 carrots
500g lamb mince
Concentrated tomato purée
400ml beef stock (beef stock works better than gravy and is usually easier to find, but both can work)
A few tablespoons of green peas (frozen or fresh both work)
A splash of red wine
A (large) splash of Worcestershire sauce
Rosemary and thyme
1. Lay out your ingredients, then peel the carrots and finely chop the onion and the carrots.
2. Heat a bit of olive oil in a pan under medium heat, then add the onion and carrots. Fry under low/medium heat, until the onions look transparent.
3. Meanwhile, fry the lamb mince in a separate pan. No oil needed: the fat from the lamb mince will be more than enough, and in fact that’s what we’re trying to get rid of. Don’t want that much fat in our pie!
4. Using a wooden spoon, break apart the lamb mince continuously. Keep frying until the mince starts browning, and the fat starts being released.
5. You should hit a point where there is a lot of fat being released from the mince. At that point, go ahead and drain it in a colander. Then, put the mince back until everything is brown.
Usually, you should drain the fat from the mince twice. After that, you should see that most of the fat is gone.
6. Once you’re done frying the mince, add it into the main pan. Also add the green peas.
7. At this point, add in:
A splash of tomato purée
A bit of rosemary and thyme
The beef stock
A large amount of Worcestershire sauce. This is what will really give the pie its flavor. I’m not talking the whole bottle, but be a bit generous with how much Worcestershire sauce you put in.
After adding these, mix them all together and leave to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes with a lid on.
After 20 minutes, take off the lid. Then, you’ll want to start making the mashed potatoes. Luckily, I have a great recipe for that as well! Check it out here.
Now, leave the lamb mince and vegetables to simmer without a lid for 25 more minutes. Make the mashed potatoes during this time.
The cooking time should be around 45 minutes in total.
8. When you’re done cooking the lamb mince and vegetables, pre-heat your oven to 200°. Then, lay them all out evenly in an oven-proof tray.
9. Top the lamb mince and vegetables with the mashed potatoes. Use a fork to spread the potatoes out evenly, and to make it look good.
Once you’ve assembled the pie, put in the oven for around 20 minutes, or until the top of the potatoes are slightly browned.
10. And you’re done! Take out the pie after 20 minutes. The potatoes should be firm, and browned at the top.
11. Enjoy!