Happy Pi(e) Day! Since I’ve never been great at math, I’m all about celebrating 3/14 with something I AM great at: (edible) pies. While I am known for going all out with my lattice-top pies, I tend to reserve that 4-hour undertaking for the night before Thanksgiving. That’s why today, I figured I’d celebrate with a pie of a different, lower-maintenance breed – My Favorite Shepherd’s Pie!
Before we dive in though, I just want to take this moment to share a piping hot take with you – I think using “The Best” as a superlative for recipes is annoying. THERE, I SAID IT. Before you come for me, I’m not saying there aren’t reasons for it (like, SEO… or the recipe actually being very good). I’m just saying, if you search online for a recipe that is “the best” of its kind, you will undoubtedly be met with a confusing flood of results. How are we supposed to know who’s telling the truth?
Case in point: When you Google “best banana bread,” SO many results come up that the first related search Google suggests is “best banana bread in the world.” I’m not joking. THE PEOPLE WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED IF WE GO ON LIKE THIS.
So instead, I’m going with “My Favorite .”
Who can get mad at that? Even if I was the only person in the world who felt that way, I wouldn’t be wrong.
I also can’t in good conscience profess that this shepherd’s pie is “the best” – because it’s not trying to be. The recipe is non-traditional, so I can’t and don’t want to compare it to any other. It’s just really good – so good that I have found myself making it over and over and over again this year. The filling is juicy and savory, the potato topping is a little bit sweet, a little bit creamy, and a LOT fluffy. Did I mention it reheats well and there are ways to make it ahead?
If you try it, I am sure you will love it. But even if you don’t, the good news is I didn’t claim it was the best, so I DID NOT LIE TO YOU. 😇
But enough about that… let’s talk about this recipe!
The Potatoes
This recipe uses a 50/50 mixture of Russet and Sweet Potatoes. This creates a slightly sweet and TOTALLY spoon-lickable mash that, in my opinion, is really fun. I also call for rinsing the potatoes before and after boiling. This is a quick additional step that gets rid of excess starch resulting in a smoother mash. If you forget to do this or are in a hurry, it won’t make or break your dish. That said, starting your potatoes in a pot of cold wateris key if you want to ensure evenly cooked potatoes with no lumps! This might be counter-intuitive because hot water boils faster, but you really want your potatoes to heat up at the same rate as your water. (Shout out to J. Kenji López Alt for all this expert potato intel!)
The Meat
Traditionally, shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb. I call for ground beef in this recipe because it’s more widely available, but I often use ground turkey as well. If you’re plant based, you can use a ground meat alternative like Beyond Meat or Impossible Meat. Use whatever fits your budget and is readily available to you!
The Vegetables
I didn’t include celery because I’m not a fan, but if I happen to have it on hand I will add it. If you can’t live without celery in your shepherd’s pie, add it in with the onion and carrots. I usually throw in frozen peas at the end, but sometimes I leave them out. In conclusion: choose your own adventure! Whatever you do, make sure you cut your veggies into small pieces that are as evenly sized as possible – this isn’t just for aesthetic, it’s to make sure that they cook evenly.
The Seasonings
I put a touch of fresh rosemary, garlic, and ground nutmeg into my ground meat mixture, because I think they play really nicely with the sweet potatoes. The flavor they add is subtle, so feel free to play around with the amounts or with additional herbs and spices. If you don’t want to spend time chopping garlic, use 1 tsp. of garlic powder instead.
The Liquid
Most traditional shepherd’s pies call for tomato paste and some combination of beef stock and/or dark beer. That creates a rich, brown gravy that I love, but I chose a different journey this recipe. Instead, I use half a cup of white wine and nothing else but the natural juices of the meat. I find the end result is still juicy and incredibly flavorful, yet in a delicate way. If you do not cook with alcohol, feel free to use half a cup of stock. If you want to replicate the flavor and acidity of cooking with wine, add a splash of white wine vinegar or lemon juice to your stock.
I won’t lie to you – this recipe, if done all at once, isn’t as quick and effortless as many of my other recipes. HOWEVER, there are ways to plan ahead to make this recipe work for your schedule!
How To Plan Ahead:
Do some mise en place ahead of time. At least 30% of the time it takes to make this dish is spent prepping your veggies, so do some chopping ahead of time! Store the onions and carrots together in one container and the rosemary and garlic together in a separate small container for up to 2-3 days. If you need to pre-chop the potatoes, put the cubes in a sealed container of water overnight.
You can make the mashed topping ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 1-2 days. Be sure to let it cool before refrigerating, and to bring it back down to room temperature before spreading it on top your filling (you can add some milk to loosen if it tightens up in the fridge). That said, making the mash can be done in the time it takes for you to cook your filling.
Make the whole thing ahead of time. The whole pie can be made, assembled, and refrigerated up to a few days before baking. When ready to bake, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before putting it in the oven, uncovered.
Is it just me, or is all this talk about “mash” making you want to listen to Monster Mash? 😂
Preheat your oven to 425˚F and position the upper rack in the middle of the oven.
Chop all of your vegetables before proceeding (garlic, rosemary, onions, carrots, and potatoes) – this will make the rest of the recipe go more smoothly!
To make the topping, rinse your cubed russet and sweet potatoes to remove excess starch. Place the rinsed, cubed potatoes into a pot, fill with cold water to cover, and add 2 tsp. Kosher salt. Set over high heat and bring to a boil (you may proceed with making the filling while you wait). Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes. When a fork inserted into a piece of potato meets no resistance, remove from heat, drain, and rinse again. Mash with 4 Tbs. unsalted butter until smooth. Add more salt to taste if desired and set aside.
In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed skillet, heat 1 Tbs. olive oil. When hot, add your ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Break up the meat and allow to brown.
When the meat has browned, add the chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, and 1 tsp. nutmeg. Saute until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.
Add the chopped onion and chopped carrot and cook until softened, about 7-10 minutes.
Pour 1/2 cup white wine into the pot and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the liquid has mostly evaporated, add the 1/2 cup frozenpeas and cook until defrosted.
Pour the filling into the bottom of a ~9×9 casserole or baking dish and even out with a spatula. Cover with the mashed potato mixture, smooth out, and then drag a fork through the surface to create texture.
Bake for 15-20 minutes uncovered, or until the top is set and the mixture is bubbling. Then, place under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until browned on top, keeping an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t burn.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS
This dish can be easily made vegan by using a plant-based ground meat alternative in the filling and plant-based butter in the mash.
Feel free to add celery along with the carrots and onions.
MAKE AHEAD / PREP TIPS
Mise en place is key here! At least 30% of the time it takes to make this dish is spent chopping your carrots, onions, rosemary, and garlic, so do it all at once at the beginning, or do it ahead of time. Store the onions and carrots together in one container and the rosemary and garlic together in a separate small container for up to 2-3 days. Store cubed potatoes in a sealed container of water in the fridge overnight.
You can make the mashed topping ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 1-2 days. Let it cool before refrigerating, and bring it back up to room temperature before spreading it on top your filling (you can add some milk or plant mylk to loosen it if it stiffens in the fridge).
To make the whole dish ahead of time, assemble the layers and refrigerate the dish for up to a few days before baking. When ready to bake, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before putting it in the oven uncovered.
Keywords: meat, shepherds pie, pie, casserole, beef, potato, winter, fall
A
April 18, 2021 atI made this over the weekend and it was fantastic. This will be my go-to shepherd’s pie recipe from now on.
Sarah Kenner
April 20, 2021 atI love to hear it! So glad you liked the recipe! 🙂