Shepherd’s Pie is the sort of food that brings a smile to everyone’s face! Lamb in a rich gravy sauce with a scattering of peas, a creamy potato topping, and that awesome golden cheese crust, make this once and you’ll make it over and over again! (PS Use beef instead of lamb for Cottage Pie).
Shepherd’s Pie
When I shared my Cottage Pie on Facebook, there was almost an all out cyber-war about whether it was in fact Cottage Pie or Shepherd’s Pie. 😂
So let me just answer the burning question first, to get that out of the way:
What’s the difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie??
Cottage Pie is made with beef and Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb.
Shepherds herd sheep. Not cows. That’s how I remember it!!
Other than beef vs lamb, they are essentially exactly the same recipe.
So a Shepherd’s Pie made with beef is Cottage Pie, and Cottage Pie made with lamb is Shepherd’s Pie!
What is Shepard’s Pie
If you’re new to Shepherd’s Pie (also spelled Shepard’s Pie), let me be the first to welcome you to your new favourite comfort food. Essentially, it’s lamb and veggies smothered in a gravy – and who doesn’t love an excuse for tons and tons of gravy?
All those times you were limited to just a small drizzle on a few slices of roast lamb because there wasn’t enough to go around… Bah! This is how you get your gravy fix!!
How to make Shepherd’s Pie
A really good Shepherd’s Pie should always start with a soffrito – that is, onion, garlic, carrots and celery sautéed on a lowish heat until sweet. It’s the secret to a great flavour base that’s a technique used widely by many cuisines, such as Italian cooking (for example, this Italian Shredded Beef Ragu).
After this, we cook the ground / mince meat – traditionally lamb but equally delicious made with beef – before adding flour (which thickens the sauce) and gravy flavourings (beef broth, tomato paste, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce and red wine which is optional).
Simmer until the sauce is thickened, spread in a baking dish then top with creamy mashed potato (the creamier = easier to spread). To make the top beautifully golden and extra crispy, I like to drizzle with a bit of butter and parmesan. You’ll see how amazing it looks when it comes out of the oven in the recipe video!
What to serve with Shepherd’s Pie
When it comes to choosing sides for your Shepherd’s pie, try Glazed Roasted Carrots or perhaps Sautéed Garlic Spinach. The only other thing you need is a glass of red and a crackling fire…
Tips for making Shepherd’s Pie
There are a few stages to making Shepherd’s Pie, but it’s a straightforward recipe. There’s just two little things that you don’t see in most recipes, little things that bugged me:
Cool the filling before topping with potato: It thickens and makes it easier to spread the potato across the top and it stops the potato weeping into the filling;
Creamier mashed potato = easier to spread and just an all round better eating experience. I just don’t like dry, very firm mash. When I break through the mash, I want it to be borderline collapsing, rather than being able to cut cleanly through it like cake.
I stress again – these are little things that bug me, so feel free to by-pass them! – Nagi x
PS One last time – Cottage Pie is made with beef. Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb! 😂 (Shepherd’s herd SHEEP!)
Watch how to make it
Sometimes it helps to have a visual, so watch me make this Shepherd’s Pie recipe!
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Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 1 carrot , finely chopped
- 1 rib celery , finely chopped
- 3/4 tsp each dried thyme and rosemary (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme + 1 sprig rosemary)
- 750g (1.5 lb) ground lamb (mince) OR beef
- 1/4 cup flour , plain/all purpose
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock / broth
- 1/2 cup red wine (or water)
- 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled (OXO brand crumbles easily)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 bay leaves , dried or fresh
- 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
Mashed Potato
- 1.2kg (2.2 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes
- 2/3 cup milk (whole or low fat)
- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter
Cheesy crust
- 2 – 3 tbsp grated parmesan , optional
- 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter , melted
- Fresh thyme leaves, optional garnish
Instructions
- Sauté – Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Then add carrots, celery, thyme and rosemary. Cook for 3 minutes or until softened and sweet.
- Cook lamb – Turn heat up to high. Add lamb and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned.
- Make sauce – Add flour and mix in. Add tomato paste, broth, red wine, bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir well.
- Simmer and thicken – Bring to simmer, then turn down heat so it is simmering rapidly – I have it on medium. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces down to a thick gravy consistency (Note 1) (see video).
- Cool – Add salt and pepper, taste, then add more if you like. Transfer Filling to 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart pie baking dish. Stir through peas. Cover, then refrigerate to cool for 1 – 2 hours or overnight (optional, Note 2)
Assemble:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (both fan and standard).
- Boil potatoes – Place the potatoes in a large pot. Add water so it’s 10cm / 4” above potatoes. Bring to a boil then cook for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain then return potatoes into the pot on the turned off stove. Allow to steam dry for 30 seconds or so (Note 3).
- Mash – Add butter and mash until melted, then add milk, salt and pepper. Mash until it's soft and smooth (ie spreadable, but not sloppy), adjusting with a touch more milk if required.
- Spread mash onto pie, use a fork to draw squiggles over the surface. Sprinkle with parmesan, drizzle with butter.
- Bake for 30 – 40 minutes or until deep golden on top and bubbling on the edges. Stick a knife into the middle to ensure it is piping hot.
- Stand for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh thyme leaves if desired.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
More cosy pies!
Life of Dozer
Flashback to when Dozer destroyed his ACL (rear knee) back when I first shared this recipe in June 2018. He underwent surgery and was 2 weeks into a 4 month recovery period, and under strict instructions to remain confined to a small space.
It was very challenging for this highly active dog. But his patience was rewarded, he is back to his wild antics at the beach!
Hi Nagi, I made this today with chicken broth as I didn’t have any beef bouillon cubes and omitted the red wine (only had white), but it turned out wonderful. Thank you for the recipe 😊. I have tried several of your recipes and each one was very delicious and easy to make and most importantly, involved ingredients I already had on hand. Thank you!
I’m so pleased to hear that Naira! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this! N xx
I have only had cottage pie.. but your recipe looks much better than any I have had..
Just beef, corn and potatoes.. Sounds pretty boring now!
Thank’s for the new recipe, if I could only drive myself to eat a cute little lamb 🙂
Dozer is so cute! I pray he will recover without issue.. maybe chamomile tea would mellow him out 🙂
That’s not boring!!! 🙂 That’s essentially all Cottage Pie is – and it’s SO GOOD! N x
You teach me things I did not know I wanted to know 🙂 ! Since I but rarely eat potatoes had not thought of the obvious difference but am glad I now know ! The lamb part will be copied ‘your way’ to go with other sides . . . happy time is a’passin’ and Dozer’s ‘lockup’ time shortening . . . . this is probably harder on you than the spoilt Lordship !!! With cold winds on the beach would a second ACL problem bring as much attention ?
Spoilt Lordship! BA HA HA!!!! That’s EXACTLY what he is!! N xx
Hi Nagi, the controversy of Cottage versus Shepherd’s pie has been forever in my mind. I could not understand that there was a difference until you just pointed it out in this post. Now it all makes sense and “ the Penny has finally just dropped”. They say you learn something new everyday, well close to it! Thank you.
I’d have no hope of remembering the difference if it weren’t for “shepherd’s herd sheep”!!! 😂
Hi Nagi 🙂
I have just recently discovered your blog and I’m loving it 🙂
Can you tell me which red wine you prefer to use in this recipe?
I don’t cook with wine often so I’m unsure of which one to buy.
Hi Jasmine! Any dry red will be fine with this, I just get discount bottles from Dan Murpey’s – cab sav, merlot etc. Because it’s not a major ingredient, don’t worry even if you don’t have wine, just leave it out! N x
God bless Dan Murphy’s on-line: sure makes my life easier and so much cheaper 🙂 !!
I have made this, but in our winter months. It was awesome! I had to tell you this: I was just looking at the ‘Spanx’ website and was watching a little video on ‘arm tights’. Yeah. I said arm tights. Anyway, guess what music they played? The same music you have in your video. I saw yours first, of course, and thought about your shepherd’s pie the entire time! It made me laugh!!! and cry because yeah, I was looking at arm tights…
ARM TIGHTS???!! Ba ha ha! Last night I was watching one of those reality investment shows and someone was trying to pitch EAR SOCKS!!!! That’s so funny about the music, I heard it on a major TV ad recently too! N x
In our family Shepherd’s Pie has always been made with minced left over lamb roast. You include some of the gravy from Sunday lunch as well. Honestly if you’ve never tried it please do!!
My problem is that we NEVER have leftover roast lamb!! 😂
While both obvious and technically correct that shepherd’s pie is a lamb casserole, you’d be hard pressed to find it made that way at 99% of diners, restaurants, grade schools or secondary schools in the US, nor would you be at all likely to find cottage pie on any menus, nor many Americans who have ever heard of the term cottage pie. In the US, Shepherd’s pie is widely regarded as a beef casserole, irrespective of the contradiction implied by the word “shepherd.”
Beef has been substituted for lamb in shepherd’s pie in the US since time immemorial, due to the historically dominant nature of the beef supply in the US, but the name of the casserole had remained the same regardless of that substitution. I’m sure there might be some very rare commercial exceptions, and a few home cooks who employ such distinctions in some part due to their familial origins or heritage, but if it’s featured on a home or commercial menu anywhere in the US, it would make sense to simply anticipate that it will almost certainly consist of beef rather than lamb.
Why that seems to disturb and upset people so, has always escaped me, particularly if one is not actually a diner who’d expected a lamb dish and been served one with beef, instead. Just using the name for a beef casserole does seem to offend certain sensibilities for some reason, I guess, but it is not as if cottages had ever herded cattle either, nor that there any bits of anything resembling cottages in a cottage pie, so I somewhat fail to understand why that would be a more fitting or appropriate term for pie consisting of beef. All things being equal, except for the actual type of meat employed, “shepherd’s pie with beef,” might better clarify what it actually is. Plus, in a contest between a shepherd and a cottage, I’d bet my boots and put money on the fact that a shepherd would fare better at herding cattle, too! 🙂
Wynn – you just answered a question that was burning in MY mind! I never understood why it was such a big deal to Americans, now I know!! There you go 🙂 N xx
I’ve seen some of the fierce conflicts online concerning what is and is not a shepherd’s pie! If someone’s mother or grandmother had called it one thing or the other, the gauntlets are instantly thrown down to defend and uphold those family traditions.
Widespread sheep farming never became established in the US because the cowboy cattle ranchers in the Wild West of the 19th century had effectively discouraged it through systematic violence and sabotage. They hadn’t thought cattle would be able to survive on prairie shared with sheep. There have always been smaller scale sheep operations and heritage flocks, though, and more so in recent years again due to fiber enthusiasts. Llamas, alpacas, and yaks have become popular, too.
PS: You might really be shocked by what is called a scone in certain parts of the US, too! In many places it might be exactly what you would think it would be, although in some quarters scones might also be called biscuits or shortcake too, but in some Western parts of the US scones can be something Entirely unexpected! For examples of the unexpected, Google “Navajo scones” or “Utah scones” or “Navajo tacos.”
Yes!! My first encounter of an American “scone” was in Starbucks!!
Oh, at Starbucks it may just have been the typically poor facsimile of a traditional scone readily available nearly throughout the US, at both chain restaurants and even in most bakeries now, unfortunately. There are many such abominations as that, sadly.
If it was a Starbucks in the Western part of the US, it might have been a Navjo or Utah scone… If it was deep fried! Some parts of a few Western states have never even heard of, much less seen, a traditional scone.
“Scone” is the common term in parts of the West for referring to a variety of Native American Indian Fry Breads, which are very popular.
Well. This just screams at me! Gotta make it, this weekend. I can tell this is a ten by the ingredient list!
Dozer looks wonderful!! Such an incredibly beautiful face, with so much expression in his eyes. I love that dawg! 😀
LOVE that this screams at you!! 😂 N xx
Dozer Your a good boy.. my daughters dog had a serious op an had to be confined like your boy.. hated it. very long process as you know .when you take him outside for toilet see if you can lift both legs up with a towel under both, very important ,, more so if you have stairs.. All the best an speedy recovery Dozer ♥
Thank you for the tip Colleen! I have a harness for him which helps support weight on his back end when his legs are tired and he’s struggling to go to the toilet. I hope your daughter’s dog is now ok? 🙂 N x
Hii what is a substitute for the beef cube and broth ? Can I use chicken cube and broth ?
Hi Niki! You sure can – the colour won’t be quite as dark but still super tasty! N x
Hi Nagi,
Good to see Dozed is making a comeback. He’s looking much more cheerful.
Never thought of making Shepherds Pie including cheese. What a great idea. Will give it a try.
Jonathan
Just a wee sprinkle makes the most AMAZING CHEESE CRUST!!! 🙂 N xx
Love to cook with your recipes always tastes amazing and most are easy to make. Thanks
I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes Kim! Thank you for letting me know – N x