Sheperd's pie is a popular British dish with roots in ancient Scotland. In fact, this is a casserole with meat filling under a mashed potato "fur coat". The dish is very satisfying and perfect for dinner.
From the name of the cake, it is clear who came up with the recipe. The list of ingredients includes available products, which once again confirms the simple origin of the dish. It can be safely called a symbol of cozy village food.
There are many recipes for shepherd's pie. In the classic version, the filling should be chopped lamb or lamb. Of course, a substitute for beef is possible. Only it will no longer be a shepherd's, but a peasant pie (cottage pie).
Classic recipe
You will need:
- 1 kg of potatoes;
- 700 g minced lamb;
- 60 ml of vegetable oil;
- 1 large or 2 small onions;
- 3 medium carrots;
- 2 tbsp. l. tomato paste;
- 4 egg yolks;
- 20 g butter;
- 1 tsp. thyme and rosemary;
- a clove of garlic;
- 250 ml of water;
- salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Step by step cooking
- Grate the carrots on a coarse grater and chop the onion into cubes. Fry the root vegetables in a deep frying pan in a mixture of vegetable and butter. Just do not overdo it, because in the future, the minced meat will give a lot of fat when stewing. Pass for no more than two minutes. Add thyme and rosemary.
- Add minced meat and cook until the meat is completely done. By the way, initially the lamb was chopped with knives for the filling. You can do just that in order to fully immerse yourself in this dish.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Add tomato paste, minced garlic and fry for another minute.
- Pour in water, if desired, you can take chicken broth. Wait for it to boil, reduce heat to minimum and simmer for about 50-60 minutes. The longer the minced lamb is stewed, the more tender it will turn out. It is important to control the amount of fluid. It should be enough for the minced meat to have the consistency of a very thick sauce.
- Peel potatoes, boil in salted water and mash. Add egg yolks and butter. They will make the puree more tender and fluffy.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the minced lamb on the bottom of a heatproof container and place the mashed potatoes on top. Its layer should be quite thick. Whisk the puree a little with a fork, you can draw some patterns for beauty. Sprinkle with grated cheese if desired.
- Bake the shepherd's pie until golden brown. This usually takes 20 to 25 minutes. The dish is best served hot. It goes well with vegetable salad.
This dish is very popular not only in England, but also in its former colonies. Shepherd's pie can often be seen on the festive table, especially during the cold season. Take the British example. Shepherd's pie on the festive table will definitely be in the spotlight.
