Shepherd’s Pie

This has been on my queue for a while and most recently I decided to make it. I got this recipe by watching Thomas Stracker’s or AKA the “All Things Butter” guy in Instagram. He had featured some British classics a few months ago and I had immediately bookmarked this Shepherd’s Pie recipe. This was ridiculously easy to make. I’d like to tell you it yielded a lot of food for my family of five but then again, they ate this up like vultures with not much to spare in the way of leftovers.

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced,
• 3 large carrots, roughly chopped
• 4 celery stalks, sliced
• 3 sprigs thyme, stems discarded and leaves chopped
• 2 springs rosemary, stems discarded and leaves chopped
• tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 cup peas
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg

Prepare

1. In a large pan, heat olive oil and ground beef, mixing and browning all sides.
2. In a separate pan you are going to make the mirepoix next by sautéing the onions first, then the carrots, followed by the celery. Then add the garlic and add the meat to the pan along with the thyme and rosemary, and stir until combined.
3. Add the chicken stock and cook while occasionally stirring every few minutes for a total of 6 minutes.
4. In a small saute pan melt 2 Tbsp butter and add flour, mix vigorously to make a roux. Add the roux to the meat mixture.
5. Now add the peas and cook two more minutes.
6. Pour the meat mixture into a 8 x 13 pan.
7. Peel two large russet potatoes, place them with 1 Tbsp salt over them and roast on a baking sheet at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 14 minutes.
8. In a large mixing bowl using a potato masher,. mash the potatoes down with butter, heavy cream, and then vigorously mix in the egg.
9. Pour the mash potatoes over the top of the meat mixture until it complete covers the meat mixture.
10. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 16 minutes.
11. Remove from oven, serve, and enjoy while it is fresh and hot!