Homemade Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

As the days slowly get colder, having wholesome, warming and comforting food is so important for the soul. Shepherd’s Pie is one such dish and I will be sharing the recipe and some secret tips how to make yours taste amazing. Firstly the difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie is that Shepherd’s Pie is made using lamb meat while Cottage Pie is made using beef. As simple as that!

Traditionally the leftovers from Sunday Dinner’s roasted lamb was used to make the filling for Shepherd’s Pie but I have used mince lamb as I prefer that. I also tend to use leek in my Shepherd’s Pie but omit it when making Cottage Pie.

The secret to making a mouth-watering Shepherd’s Pie is to ensure that you slow slow the meat for hours! I tend to cook mine for a minimum of 2 hours but have cooked it for 3+ hours till the meat turns ‘melt-in-your-mouth’. I have also used homemade stock as well as left over gravy (from my Sunday Roast) to add to the dish to give it more flavour. I know of others who add baked beans or lentils in theirs. I guess the trick is to make it your own by adding your favourite herbs and ingredients to make it your family recipe, here is mine.

How to Make Mash Potatoes

Gardening is something I picked up only recently as it is time consuming. But the joy of seeing, picking and cooking what I have planted is something very special to me. I prefer easy to grow vegetables and I find potatoes are super easy. They take a lot of space as I grow 1 seed potato in 1 pot. The above are this summer’s yield, Kestrel Potatoes which have a beautiful purple colour to them. Homegrown potatoes are tastier and have a nicer flavour.

Boil the potatoes in salted water (about 5-6 medium sized potatoes) for around 20 minutes or until cooked

Then add 1-2 tablespoon of butter, white pepper, salt and give it a good mash. For super fine mash, use a potato ricer (I have used the traditional masher). Also, the more butter you add the creamier the mash tastes.

Add enough milk until you get the right consistency. For Pies’ I make sure they slightly firmer than if I have them as a side dish. You can make the mash a day in advance and keep store it in the fridge overnight. Just warm it up with a little milk the next day.

Here’s a short youtube video on how to make Shepherd’s Pie from scratch.

Feel free to Pin this image on your Pinterest Account so you can remember to try this recipe

Here are more recipes for you to try:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

How to Make Homemade Chicken Stock?

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Homemade Shepherd's Pie Recipe

yeahfoodie As the days slowly get colder, having wholesome, warming and comforting food is so important for the soul. Shepherd’s Pie is one such dish and I will be sharing the… Main Course Homemade Shepherd’s Pie Recipe Western Print This

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 30 mins Cooking Time: 120 mins 120 mins

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 3-4 tbsp Oil
• 500g Minced Lamb
• 4 pinches of Garlic (Minced)
• 2 Onions (Diced)
• 2 Carrots (Peeled and Diced)
• 1 cup Peas
• 2 Celeries (Peeled and Diced)
• 3 Leeks (Sliced - Only the White part)
• 500ml Stock (Lamb/Chicken/Veg)
• 2 tbsp Tomato Puree
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 tbsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tbsp Lea & Perrins Sauce
• 2 tsp Cornflour (Mix this with a little cold water to make a watery paste)

Instructions

1. Add 2 tbsp oil to the pan and cook the onions, garlic, leek, carrots, celery with a pinch of salt and pepper for a few minutes. Remove from pan.

2. Add 1 tbsp oil to the pan and add the mince lab and cook it for a few minutes till it changes colour, then add the vegetables from earlier, the tomato puree and the Lea & Perrins Sauce.

3. Add the dried oregano, the bay leaves, stock, gravy and cook it in low heat for 2-3 hours until the meat is nice and tender. Do check the seasoning to ensure there is enough salt and black pepper.

4. Add in the peas 5 minutes before you are going to turn off the heat

5. Add the cornflour paste to thicken the gravy, stir and turn off the heat.

6. Place the filling into an oven proof dish.

7. Add the mashed potatoes on the top and use a fork to make a pattern. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the top is nice and brown. I tend to add the last 5 minutes under the grill for the lovely brown finish.

Notes

If you are making the stock from the stock cube. Add a cute to 500ml of boiling water and stir.