Becky's Shepherd's Pie (with Ground Lamb) [RECIPE]

I love Shepherd's Pie, but a TRUE Shepherd's pie is hard to find these days (at least here in America). Everyone here makes it with beef, but really, it should be made with Lamb. (Technically, if it's made with anything other than Lamb, it's called a "Cottage Pie". But that's me being a stickler.)

This dish is something I've been meaning to make myself for a long time and last night I made it. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the final product, but trust me, it's VERY good! Hope you enjoy it too!


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Becky's Shepherd's Pie (with Ground Lamb)

Makes about 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped/sliced carrots (fairly thin, not TOO chunky)
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup diced mushrooms
2 Tbl flat leaf (Italian) Parsley, FRESH, minced finely
2 cups (1 Lbs) ground lamb
2 cups beef broth
1-2 Tbl + Olive Oil (enough for sautéing)
1 Tbl Butter
1–½ to 2 Tsp Cornstarch
Approx. 1 cup+ Mashed Potatoes (already made ahead of time); more if you want a thicker layer of potatoes on top.
Approx. 1/2 - 1 cup? Shredded Cheese (personal preference for amount)
Kosher Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper (or White Pepper) to Taste

 

Directions:

1. Chop veggies & make up beef broth (if making from bullion/granules).

2. Sauté onions & carrots for 5-10 minutes in a bit of olive oil. Onions should start to become translucent.

3. Add garlic & sauté a few minutes. (Then set it aside/remove from heat).

4. In another pan, cook the ground lamb. When it has browned sufficiently/cooked, drain fat & add the lamb to the pan with the onions/carrots/garlic mixture.

5. Add in beef both, mushrooms, & fresh parsley to the mixture and set on a med-low heat.

6. Melt Butter & add Cornstarch to it, mixing thoroughly (making a Roux).

7. Add the Roux, Salt, & Pepper to the lamb/carrots/onion/garlic/mushroom/parsley/broth mix & mix thoroughly.

[If you have not already done so: Turn on Oven to PreHeat to 375 Degrees.]

8. Heat mixture to low boil with the lid off on med high for a few minutes to reduce, then put the lid back on to simmer on med-low to low for 20 minutes.

9. Pour hot mixture into oven safe baking dish. (Oven should be preheated to 375)

10. Cover with mashed potatoes. (Personal preference for how thick the layer of mash should be.)

11. Bake for about 15 minutes to get them warm (especially if using cold mash) & the mash starts to brown/crisp up.

12. Cover the potatoes with a layer of shredded cheddar cheese (personal preference for amount of cheese) & cooked for another 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and beginning to crisp up.

13. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 or more minutes (it’s HOT!) to cool enough to eat.