USA · Meat Dishes · High protein

Shepherd's Pie

Name: Shepherd's Pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 kg potatoes; 500 g minced meat; 1 large onion; 2 medium carrots; 2 stalks celery; 1 cup peas; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tbsp flour; 1 cup beef broth; 2 tbsp butter; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; to taste salt and pepper

A traditional English dish consisting of a layer of stewed meat and vegetables covered with mashed potatoes and baked in the oven. Usually made with lamb, but beef can also be used.

65 min 525 kcal 4 serves Advanced💪High protein🇺🇸USA★★★★★4.8· 5 reviews

Ingredients

ServingsMetric

1 kgpotatoes
500 gminced meat
1 largeonion
2 mediumcarrots
2 stalkscelery
1 cuppeas
2 tbsptomato paste
1 tbspflour
1 cupbeef broth
2 tbspbutter
¼ tspnutmeg
to tastesalt and pepper

Note from Sergei

Sergei Martynov

“Here's a hill I'll die on: real shepherd's pie is made with lamb, period. If you're using beef, that's cottage pie — and there's nothing wrong with that, but words matter. The filling should be thick and saucy, not soupy: cook the gravy down until a spoon dragged through it leaves a clear trail. For the mashed potato topping, I go heavy on butter and use an egg yolk to help it brown beautifully under the broiler. The texture of the potatoes matters enormously — they need to be smooth enough to spread but thick enough to hold their shape. I rough up the surface with a fork before baking so the peaks get golden and crispy while the valleys stay creamy.”

Pipe the mashed potatoes on top with a large star tip for the crispiest result. The ridges create maximum surface area for browning. If you don't have a piping bag, use a fork to create crosshatch peaks.

Method

Peel and cut the potatoes into cubes. Boil in salted water until tender, then drain. Mash with butter.
Fry the onion, carrot and celery over medium heat until soft. Add the mince and fry, breaking up any lumps, until cooked through.
Add the peas and tomato paste, stir and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
Dissolve the flour in the stock and add to the meat. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
Spread the meat mixture in the bottom of a deep baking dish. Place the mashed potatoes on top and flatten with a spoon. Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C for 30-40 minutes until golden.

FAQ

A watery topping usually comes from potatoes that were not dried out enough after boiling. After draining, return the potatoes to the hot pot and shake over low heat for 1–2 minutes to evaporate excess moisture before mashing. Use a potato ricer or hand masher — never a food processor or blender, which breaks down the starch cells and makes the mash gluey. Add warm butter and warm milk rather than cold, and use only as much liquid as needed to reach a stiff, pipeable consistency. If the topping still collapses, it may also mean the filling below was too wet and released steam that softened the potato layer from underneath.

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Comments (1)

Sergei Martynov✍ Author
29d ago
The pan needs to be properly hot before the potatoes goes in for shepherd's pie. A lukewarm pan steams instead of sears. Wait until you see the faintest wisp of smoke — that's your signal.