Sheppard’s Pie

Kinzy’s Sheppard’s Pie

Potatoes:

• 5 lbs Idaho potatoes
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• Salt, pepper, garlic, paprika, and onion powder to taste

Filling:

• 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 small onion
• 2 cans whole corn
• 2 cans carrot and peas
• 1lbs ground beef
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1-1/2 cup broth 
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crushed

Topping:

- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1- Peel, dice, and boil potatoes until tender

2- Drain potatoes and mash with 2 sticks of butter, and milk until they reach a soft/spreadable consistency  

3- Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder to taste

4- In high walled skillet, sauté onions in oil until translucent. Add canned vegetables, tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings

5- In separate skillet, brown and drain ground beef

6- In 9”x13” pan, add ground beef and pour vegetable mixture over

7- Carefully spread mashed potatoes on top

8- Top with shredded cheese and bake covered in foil at 350°F for 15-20 minutes

9- Remove foil, and broil until cheese is crispy 

Sheppard’s pie is something I never had prior to meeting my husband. It wasn’t until we were living in our first crack house apartment that he had mentioned liking it and he asked if I could make it. I had looked up a recipe and used that to loosely make my own. 

I had heard of Sheppard’s pie, and had always heard it was typically made with lamb, however most people I know (small town in Ohio, you know?) made it with ground beef. It actually turns out there’s a broad history to Sheppard’s pie, and there isn’t a standard set of ingredients to make it. The Wikipedia article on Sheppard pie is rich with interesting information, including a table that shows different chefs from the US, France, Britain, Australia, and Canada and what ingredients they used. While most are beef or lamb (fresh or leftover for either), French chef Michael Guérard used either duck gizzards or veal sweetbreads! I think if we can take anything away from this, it’s that unless you’re very adventurous with the foods you eat, maybe never take Sheppard’s pie from anyone unless you know what meat they’re using. 

Sheppard’s pie has always been one of those recipes where I never measured my ingredients, I have always just cooked it by smell and texture as I go and it’s always turned out delicious. But because I wanted to catalog recipes for my family, as I cooked this, I measured and wrote down everything I could.  

I usually start by preparing my potatoes. I have always used a five pound bag, because if I don’t use the whole thing then there’s a chance they will go to waste, and I hate wasting food. Five pounds usually gives me the perfect amount to fill a 9”x13” pan, and make a few ramekins for myself. It’s a pretty self explanatory process, just peel, wash, and cube. I boil mine in a large stock pot with water as salty as the ocean.

If I haven’t mentioned this already, I’ve been a vegetarian since 2008. This is just a personal choice, I’m not some green-crazed PETA activist. Also, before you hate me, I genuinely do not care and I am not bothered by people who eat meat. My husband is not a vegetarian, and because this is one of his favorite dishes, I always make his with meat. I get around this for myself by making the filling without meat, cooking the ground beef separately and putting it in his pan, and then adding the filling after. That way I can make little ramekins for myself, and he can have his traditional meat Sheppard’s pie. We’re both happy and it’s not a hassle. Love that. 

While my potatoes are boiling, I work on the filling. Dicing and sautéing the onion, adding in the canned vegetables, broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and spices. I let this cook through on low or medium heat, just enough to heat it but not enough to let it simmer. The reason for that is to keep as much extra liquid in it as you can, but if you do accidentally cook out liquid, you can just add more broth. If you are using fresh ground beef, now is the time to cook it. I would usually cook it in a separate pan while cooking the filling. But today, I am using frozen/thawed that we cooked last week. We’re one of those families that will buy a big package of ground beef, cooking it all at once, and separate it into baggies for the freezer. 

When the potatoes are tender enough to easily stick a fork into, I drain them and throw them in the bowl of the Kitchenaid. Our preference is buttery, seasoned potatoes. I encourage you to try them as you go and adjust them to your taste. I typically use 2 sticks of butter, but feel free to cut back if you need it. About a of cup of milk, and lots of salt and pepper. We also love to add some paprika, a little bit of garlic powder, and a dash of onion powder. Absolutely not necessary if that’s not your cup of tea. 

At this point, all that’s left to do is assemble. The mashed potatoes can be a little tricky, I like to drop spoonfuls around the dish and then spread them out with a spatula. If you are feeling adventurous, you can use a piping bag to pipe the mashed potatoes around the dish. But this is just feeding my family, not being served in a restaurant, so I usually don’t take that extra step. 

The very first time I made Sheppard’s pie, my husband’s brother was staying with us and he said “this would be so good with cheese on top.” The next time I made it we topped it with shredded sharp cheddar, and we have never made it without it since. 

Once the cheese is on, it’s ready to be thrown in the oven, or stored in the fridge. I love to make extra pans when I make Sheppard’s pie to give to family members as an easy dinner they can heat in the oven for about 20 minutes and have dinner ready. If you are storing it in the fridge, just cover with a lid or foil and use within the next 2 days. If you are making it for dinner, just bake it at 350°F for about 20 minutes or until the edges are bubbling and the cheese is melted. I prefer to run the broiler on top for a little bit after the edges are bubbling so the cheese gets crispy. 

And that’s it! Crispy cheese, seasoned mashed potatoes, and a savoring filling in one dish. This is one of our favorite’s, and even the leftovers are good. If you have ramekins, they are perfect to take to work the next day and reheat in the microwave.