Description
A comforting Shepherd’s Pie made with mashed potatoes and a savory meat filling.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ pounds russet potatoes (or Yukon gold potatoes)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound ground beef (or ground lamb)
- 1 small yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 16 ounces frozen mixed vegetables (such as carrots, corn and peas; about 3 cups)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth (plus more as needed)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Scrub the potatoes under cool water; peel (you do not need to peel if using Yukon golds). Chop into 1-inch pieces and place in a pot of cold water.
- Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil potatoes for 12-15 minutes, until very tender when pierced with a fork, but not falling apart. (While the potatoes cook, you can prepare the meat filling.) Transfer potatoes to a colander and drain well.
- Return potatoes to the empty pot or place them in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces to the potatoes in the pot. Use a potato masher or hand mixer to mash the potatoes.
- Add the milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Stir or mix with a hand mixer. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and chopped onion to the pan and cook, breaking up the meat, until the beef is browned. Drain off excess grease.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic, frozen vegetables, flour and tomato paste. Cook stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes (reduce the heat as needed to keep it at a low simmer), until most of the liquid is gone. If the meat looks dry, you can add a little more broth. You want it to have some moisture, but do not want it soupy. Then remove pan from the heat.
- Transfer the meat mixture to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the top and then spread into an even layer. Use a fork to make some textured ridges on the mashed potatoes; these will crisp and brown in the oven.
- Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes until potatoes are golden brown on the edges. (Place a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below to catch any drips.) If desired, broil for 1-3 minutes to brown the potatoes in spots. Let stand for 5 minutes and then serve.
Notes
- If using Yukon gold potatoes, peeling is optional.
- You can substitute ground beef with ground lamb if desired.
- Adding cheese to the mashed potatoes is a delicious variation!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 60mg