This Shepard pie is the ultimate comfort food, filled with veggies and ground lamb simmered in bone broth and topped with a creamy potato mash. Worcestershire, tomato paste, rosemary and thyme make the gravy so flavorful. I use cassava flour as a thickener, but feel free to use all-purpose. You can also use beef in place of the lamb. This comes together quickly but tastes like hours in the kitchen. It’s the perfect dinner for cozy nights, and can be doubled for parties and potlucks!
Tips and Variations:
• Sub your favorite ground meat for the lamb: beef, bison, elk
• Replace 1/2 bone broth with 1/2 cup red wine for a richer flavor
• Feel free to skip the cheese in the mash
• For a richer potato increase the butter to 8 tablespoons and use heavy cream instead of milk
• Worchestire adds a complex flavor in a pinch I have added a tablespoon of coconut aminos.
• Check out this article on the perfect mashed potatoes!
Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
1 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1-1.5 lb ground lamb
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspon pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp flour (cassava, arrowroot flour, all-purpose)
1 cup beef or chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
Cheesy Mash Ingredients
2 lbs of Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and halved
6 tablespoons (85 grams) cup unsalted butter
1⁄3 cup cream or milk
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup freshly grated raw cheddar (or parmesan)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add the onion, carrots and cook 5-7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two. .
- Add the lamb and cook, breaking up the large clumps, until it’s no longer pink. Remove any excess fat.
- Stir in the tomato paste and stir, cooking until well combined. Add the flour of choice, herbs, salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce. Cook for a minute or two. Add the bone broth and peas and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes. until thickened.
- Taste and adjust for salt if necessary. Transfer filling to an cast iron skillet or casserole dish.
Make The Mashed Potato Topping
- Add peeled, chopped potatoes to heavily salted boiling water and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Drain the water and add the potatoes back to the pot. Add the butter, cream, salt, and pepper; mash together. Add the cheese and mash until you have a really smooth consistency.
- Taste and adjust for salt if necessary.
- Spread the fluffy mashed potatoes over your meat and vegetable filling in your baking dish.
- Fluff the potatoes lightly with a fork (to create peaks that will brown in the oven) and sprinkle with more cheese- optional.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes until the pie is warmed through and the top is evenly golden brown. You may need to turn your broiler on for a few minutes at the end to achieve really nice browning.
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