Dad's Classic Shepherd's Pie

My Dad's Shepherd's Pie is a classic, nostalgic recipe. My dad made Shepherd's Pie a lot when I was a kid, and it's one of those recipes I make when I'm really missing him. It's reliable, inexpensive, I love making it, the leftovers are the best, and it is a real crowd-pleaser. To me, Classic Shepherd's Pie is the essence of comfort food and true comfort cooking.

Jump to:

• Background
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions and Variations
• Pro Tip
• Dad's Classic Shepherd's Pie

Background

Making my dad's recipes was like some sort of full immersion therapy exercise after he died. I called this "comfort cooking" in my original post, and it still is. I love the whole process from chopping the veggies to whipping the potatoes to shoving the whole thing in the oven. But now, as much as I love it, it makes my heart ache as it floods me with memories and emotion. Both my father and grandfather were subscribed to my blog, and I'd get the sweetest emails from them after I had posted something. After I posted this one my dad sent an email titled "happiness tears" from Afghanistan. In the body he wrote just one sweet sentence: "I just woke up and got your Shepherd's pie blog and it made me start weeping."

This was the relationship my dad and I had. I wouldn't say it revolved around food, but food, cooking, eating, planning meals, shopping for food together was just such a huge part of our relationship. We had a mutual love for all things food. I am so grateful to him for instilling that love in me, and I am so glad I cooked by his side from the time I could barely peek over the countertop until his last summer in 2018. I watched him make Shepherd's Pie countless times and while it makes me incredibly sad knowing I will never watch him or help him make it again, I am so glad I learned this and so many other recipes from him.

Ingredients

filling:

• 2 lbs ground lamb, beef, or venison (see notes)
• 1 medium yellow or white onion, finely minced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, or two small/medium carrots, finely diced
• 1 or 2 bay leaves
• 2-3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 1 cup wine-red, white, rosé, marsala-whatever you have open
• ½ cup brewed coffee (optional)
• 3 cups chicken or beef broth
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped (optional)
• a few springs fresh thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (if I'm out of tomato paste I just omit it. No big deal)
• 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste (the salt will depend greatly on the saltiness of your broth, so just taste and adjust as needed)
• about 1 cup frozen peas (optional)

potatoes:

• 2 ½ - 3 lbs (about 6) yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 1 stick butter
• 4 ounces cream cheese
• ½ to 1 cup milk (you might not need the whole cup)
• 3 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

topping (optional):

• 1 cup of grated, really sharp white cheddar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Potatoes:

1. First, get your potatoes going. Add your peeled, chopped potatoes, whole peeled garlic cloves, and bay leaves to a large pot of generously salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until very, very tender. (you can get the meat mixture cooking while you're waiting).
2. Once potatoes are tender, drain in a colander, remove bay leaves but leave the garlic, add potatoes back to pot and add butter and cream cheese. Let sit until the butter and cream cheese soften a bit.
3. Then, with a hand mixer or potato masher, mix or mash until all potatoes are mashed. My dad always used a hand mixer and made the creamiest mashed potatoes. Then, add milk in stages while mashing until you reach the desired consistency. You want a nice soft mash, but not so soupy you won't be able to scoop it out later. ½ to ¾ cup milk should be plenty. Taste potatoes for salt, and add salt and pepper to taste. Usually a teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper are sufficient, but taste your food! It should taste the way you want it to taste!

Meat Filling:

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef until most of the pink is gone, about 10 minutes. Then, add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, and season with a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook this mixture for about 10 minutes. If your beef is really fatty, scoop out excess fat. This is optional, and really depends on your meat choice.
2. Next, add tomato paste and stir to combine. Then sprinkle flour over meat mixture and stir until you don't see white anymore. Add wine, stock, worcestershire sauce, and coffee if using and cook for about 15-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom. The mixture will thicken. It should be a thick, gravy-like consistency.

Assembly:

1. Either assemble your Shepherd's Pie in the dish you've cooked your meat mixture in or spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Transfer meat to baking dish and spread into an even layer. If using peas, add them now. Just an even layer on top will do.
2. Next, add potatoes. I place large spoonfuls all around the top of the meat mixture, then I use a rubber spatula to spread it out, almost like frosting a cake, making sure to seal the edges. Sometimes I make too many potatoes. If you have this "problem" just put them in a dish and refrigerate them for another time. Having too many mashed potatoes is never a problem in my book.
3. Now, if you really want to take it over the top, and if you have an uncontrollable passion for melted, bubbly cheese like I do, add a layer of cheese to the top. My dad did not do this.
4. Place casserole dish on a rimmed sheet tray in case it bubbles over, and place in preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns a bit. Should take about 20 minutes, but keep an eye on it. Take it out when it looks brown and bubbly.

Substitutions and Variations

Yes, shepherd's pie is classically made with lamb, which my dad used often, but he also used beef if that's what we had ( I know this is called cottage pie but we never called it that), sometimes he even made it with venison or other wild game. Lamb is obviously traditional; Shepherd's = those who herd sheep; lamb = young sheep. I have made it with lamb, and love it, I've even used ground bison just for fun, but I usually use ground beef or a mixture of lamb and beef. You can use whatever ground meat you want, even ground turkey or chicken if that's your thing.

I sometimes put a layer of frozen peas between the meat and potato layer, or serve peas on the side. I know some people add corn and peas to their Shepherd's Pie; feel free to do that. My dad almost always served his with green beans on the side.

Something else my dad did was to sometimes add about a ½ cup of brewed coffee to the meat mixture. It adds a richness in flavor and color, but it's totally optional. I use this trick in my Pot Roast too.

If wine isn't your thing, feel free to add beer. A nice dark stout would be great. Or, leave the alcohol out all together. I might add a splash of vinegar just for a touch of acidity, maybe two tablespoons and I'd probably choose red wine vinegar or malt vinegar.

Make this classic shepherd's pie recipe your own.

Pro Tip

This can be just a two pan meal, meaning you'll assemble the Shepherd's Pie in the same dish you cook the meat mixture in. So your only other pan will be your potato pan. If you do this, just make sure you start out with a nice big skillet or dutch oven (my dad used a dutch oven a lot for his, rarely did he transfer to a casserole dish).

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Here are some other Dad-inspired and/or Dad-approved recipes:

The Best French Toast

Dad's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Simple Pot Roast

Pasta Carbonara