How to Make Shepherd’s Pie for a Simple Irish Meal
Shepherd’s Pie is a dish that my family enjoys eating for dinner.
My husband is quick to remind me that making it Irish requires the use of lamb, either cooked chunks or ground and cooked.
However, it can be challenging to find lamb locally that is American-raised.
So, I typically use ground beef when making it.
Meat + Potatoes + some vegetables = a dinner my husband and boys adore.
I figure it is the Irish roots coming through as this gal is far more drawn to pasta (Italian heritage for me!)
This post contains affiliate links that may generate a commission for purchases made through them. There is no additional charge to you for using them.
Making Shepherd’s Pie
If you can find lamb to cube or grind, then that’s going to give you a more authentic Irish dinner. But, feel free to substitute ground beef or even some poultry (if you don’t mind a much milder flavor.) For the beef stock, we like using Better Than Bouillon
.
Something that we use for mashed potatoes that are melt in your mouth is a potato ricer. While I love smashed potatoes with skins and chunks, this is NOT the dish for that approach. The ricer lets you leave the skins on for cooking and then process through to have just fine pieces of cooked potato.
My preference is to do all the cooking in the Lodge 12-inch Cast-Iron Skillet
we own as it can go from the stovetop to the oven with no issues. However, if you have to double the recipe then a large disposable Aluminum pan
might do the trick.
Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- Potato Topping
- 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 Tbsp. Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth, cream or milk
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional, garlic powder or roasted garlic
- Meat Filling
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, enough to coat the pan
- 1 3/4 pound ground beef, lamb, or poultry
- 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup beef stock or broth
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 tsp. paprika, preferably sweet
- shredded Cheddar Cheese, if desired
- 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley leaves, chopped or 2 tsp. dried parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes until tender. This will take approximately 12 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes, use a ricer to rice them into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, egg, and cream (or broth). Add to the potatoes and mash until smooth.
- In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the meat, seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper. Brown the meat, crumbling as you go. If the meat is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings.
- Add chopped carrot and onion to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- In a small pan over medium heat, cook the butter and flour for 2 minutes. Wisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Allow the gravy to thicken for about a minute.
- Add the gravy to the meat mixture along with the peas. Stir well.
- Top with the mashed potato blend and sprinkle with paprika and shredded cheese if desired.
- Preheat the oven to broil. Place the cast-iron skillet under the broiler and broil for 6 to 8 minutes. Top with the parsley & serve.
Notes
In the photos for this post, I made a double batch using a disposable aluminum foil pan for the oven.
To make this gluten-free, substitute rice flour or another gluten-free flour blend of choice. Rice flour works well, but will be thinner than regular flour.
More Irish Themed Posts
Get Your Irish On with These Bands
St. Patrick’s Day: Getting Your Green On
A Simple Irish Dinner: Homemade Soda Bread
Irish Stew for a Simple Irish Dinner
Make an Easy Clothespin Vase for St. Patrick’s Day
For even more St. Patrick’s Day and Irish themed ideas, visit a few of my favorite bloggers:
- Irish Dublin Coddle Recipe from Confessions of an Overworked Mom
- Green Shamrock Gummy Candy by This Mama Loves
- Irish Skeleton Key Necklace by The Socialite’s Closet
- Mint Shower Scrub Bridal Party Favor by A Bride on a Budget
- Skinny Shamrock Shake by Jen Around the World
- Shamrock Smoothie Creation by 2Boys+1Girl=OneCrazyMom
- Mint Chocolate Fluff by Mom on the Side
- Leprechaun Hat Cupcakes by Kids Fun Reviewed
- St. Patrick’s Day Wreath – Dollar Store DIY by MommaDJane
- Lucky Rustic Wall Hanging: A Paint Stick Craft by Food Fun Family
- Green Tea & Peppermint Sea Salt Foot Scrub by Sincerely Mindy
- Matcha Pear Green Smoothie by Upstate Ramblings
- Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes by How Was Your Day?
- DIY Shamrock Tree by Simply Southern Mom
- Easy St. Patrick’s Day Brownies by Mom Does it All
- No Bake Mini Mint Oreo Cheesecake by Sugar Spice and Family Life
- Mini Banofee Pie by Beyond Mommying
- Green Smoothies for St. Patrick’s Day by Family Focus Blog
- Leprechaun Bark by sweet lil you
- Good Luck Vintage Cab Ring by Style on Main
- Send Them Out the Door Ready for a Good Day by Beautiful Touches
What types of food do you enjoy for dinner?
Are your family members big on meat and potatoes?
Pin this Post for Later
Sooo, you’re making Cottage Pie then?
That’s a nice, filling meal. I’ll be doing corned beef & cabbage for St. Pats
Yum! This is going to be our St. Patrick’s Day meal. I’ve made corned beef a few times and it wasn’t a wild success.
Shepherds pie is one of my husband’s favorite dinners. I can’t believe it’s time for St Patricks day almost already this is perfect for St Patty day dinner.
Look at that creamy and yummy looking topping! I love Shepherd’s Pie, but it’s been a while since I made one. Your clicks made me hungry and it’s not yet dinner time 🙂
I love Shepherds Pie and this recipe sounds real delicious. It is a different recipe than I am used to making and love to try something new.
I have never been a big fan of Shepherd’s Pie and I have no idea why. Could be because I have never cooked it before? LOL I need to make a batch of this.
Jennifer,
I have had some good ones and some not so good ones. High-quality ingredients make a difference, especially the onions! We are still tweaking this some (e.g. garlic in the potatoes) to make it even better.
Yum! That looks so good! My husband loves Shepherds Pie! He will enjoy this!
Thanks for the recipe! We like Shepherd’s Pie but I never had a recipe for it. Now I can try it!
I have not made Shepherd’s Pie in ages and this is a very easy recipe to make. I am going to make it for Easter. Thanks for sharing-it looks so delicious!
Glad to inspire you, Julie. I love that it can be done quickly and my teens can make it as well.
We Love Shepherd’s Pie. I need to remember to make this soon.