At its core, Shepherd’s Pie (or Cottage Pie as it was originally called) is a basic, hearty dish of meat and gravy that is topped with a mountain of mashed potatoes. It’s Celtic comfort food at its best.
I make two versions of Shepherd’s Pie: a vegetarian one and another with beef and lamb. I also top the pies not just with mashed potatoes but with my take on colcannon. Traditionally, colcannon is mashed potatoes mixed with boiled kale and leeks that have been stewed in milk. I caramelize the leeks instead and then add chopped spinach (in the photos, I added spinach to the Veggie Version but omitted it from the Meaty one). I then top the pies with a kosher (vegetarian) Gouda that is lightly smoked and works well with all of the ingredients.
My Shepherd’s Pies use Worcestershire sauce. Regular Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. If you’re just making the Meaty version, go ahead and use the regular sauce. If you’re making both the Veggie and Meaty versions, save yourself some money and use the vegan Worcestershire sauce for both (vegan Worcestershire sauce tastes almost identical to the original stuff). Also, if you’re making both versions, prep the vegetables and potatoes for both versions at the same time (just double the amounts: boil 3 pounds of potatoes instead of 1-1/2 pounds, peel 2 onions instead of 1, and so on).
By the way, you can find substitutions below to make the Veggie Version a vegan one and as long as you use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce and wine, the Shepherd's Pies will be gluten-free as well.
Veggie Version
½ large leek or 1 small leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 TBS unsalted butter
3 TBS neutral-flavored oil like canola, grapeseed or vegetable (I used grapeseed)
1-1/2 pounds yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
3-4 TBS unsalted butter
½ cup frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry in lint-free towel (optional)
1 pound mushrooms, chopped into medium dice (I used a combination of cremini, shitake and oyster mushrooms but use what you like)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, cut into large dice (you can peel or leave the skin on the carrot; your preference)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 TBS vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS tomato paste
2 TBS red wine
2 cups homemade or low-sodium vegetable stock
3 TBS flour
Cold water
2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup fresh or frozen & defrosted sweet green peas
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup smoked Gouda, shredded
Drizzle of oil, unsalted butter, paprika as garnish (optional)
Prepare the leeks.
Leeks grow upward and their layers fill with dirt. To clean them:
Use the white and light green parts only (although you can save the dark green leaves for stock). Trim the ends and cut the leek in half lengthwise. Cut the leeks into thin slices. Fill a bowl or clean kitchen sink with cold water. Add a teaspoon or two of baking soda and swirl it into the water until dissolved. Add the leeks to the water. Swirl gently for a few seconds. Allow the leeks to stand for 10 minutes. The sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl or sink. Without agitating the water, pull the leeks up from the water and place into a colander or sieve. Rinse the leeks and drain well. Pat dry with a lint-free kitchen towel or paper towel.
Heat a small skillet on medium heat. Add 1 TBS butter and 1 TBS oil. Once the butter is melted, stir in the cleaned leeks. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the leeks occasionally and cook them for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are browned and soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the mashed potatoes.
Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover them with cold water. Add the ½ tsp of salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook for 10 minutes or until they are fork tender.
Drain the potatoes well and return them back to their pot (the residual heat in the pot will help remove additional water from the potatoes). Mash the potatoes (I use a potato masher but you can also use a hand mixer). Stir in the milk and 3-4 TBS of butter. Add the caramelized leeks and if using, the spinach. Mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the mushroom mixture.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add 1 TBS of butter and 1 TBS of oil. Add the chopped mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Only after the mushrooms are browned, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper (if you add the salt beforehand, the mushrooms will boil rather than brown).
A mass of mushrooms (this is only a pound). Cut them into medium-size pieces because you want them to keep their texture and chewiness...especially since they cook down to this salad plate-sized amount:
Remove the mushrooms from the skillet. Return the skillet to the heat and if necessary, add the final TBS of butter and TBS of oil. Add the onions and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes or until the carrots are lightly browned and the onions are translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute more.
Return the cooked mushrooms to the pan. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the Worcestershire sauce and red wine. Cook for one minute or just until the wine is absorbed. Add the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, mix the flour with just enough cold water to make a smooth paste (slurry). I find it easier to get a smooth consistency by using a fork rather than a spoon to blend the flour and water together. Slowly add the slurry to the simmering vegetables, stirring the entire time. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat and add the peas and 1 TBS of fresh parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Carefully pour the mixture into an 8 x 8 casserole dish.
Top the mushroom mixture with the mashed potatoes and spread it evenly over the top. Sprinkle the top with the smoked Gouda. You can also drizzle the top of the potatoes with oil or small pieces of butter and a sprinkling of paprika as a garnish and to help the browning process.
Bake the Shepherd’s Pie for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly browned. Remove the pie from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes before serving. To serve, garnish with the remaining TBS of fresh parsley.
Depending on appetites, this makes 4 to 6 servings.
The mushroom mixture without its lid and with.
Look at the beautiful green of the spinach poking through the mashed potatoes!
Meaty Version
½ large leek or 1 small leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
3 TBS unsalted butter
3 TBS neutral-flavored oil like canola, grapeseed or vegetable (I used grapeseed)
1-1/2 pounds yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice
½ tsp salt
½ cup milk
3-4 TBS butter
½ cup frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry in lint-free towel (optional)
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground lamb
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 large carrot, cut into large dice (you can peel or leave the skin on the carrot; your preference)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 TBS vegan or original Worcestershire sauce
1 TBS tomato paste
2 TBS red wine
2 cups homemade or low-sodium vegetable stock
3 TBS flour
Cold water
2 TBS fresh parsley, chopped
½ cup fresh or frozen & defrosted sweet green peas
Salt & pepper to taste
½ cup smoked Gouda, shredded
Drizzle of oil, unsalted butter, paprika as garnish (optional)
Prepare the leeks.
Leeks grow upward and their layers fill with dirt. To clean them:
Use the white and light green parts only (although you can save the dark green leaves for stock). Trim the ends and cut the leek in half lengthwise. Cut the leeks into thin slices. Fill a bowl or clean kitchen sink with cold water. Add a teaspoon or two of baking soda and swirl it into the water until dissolved. Add the leeks to the water. Swirl gently for a few seconds. Allow the leeks to stand for 10 minutes. The sand will fall to the bottom of the bowl or sink. Without agitating the water, pull the leeks up from the water and place into a colander or sieve. Rinse the leeks and drain well. Pat dry with a lint-free kitchen towel or paper towel.
Heat a small skillet on medium heat. Add 1 TBS butter and 1 TBS oil. Once the butter is melted, stir in the cleaned leeks. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the leeks occasionally and cook them for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are browned and soft. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Prepare the mashed potatoes.
Add the potatoes to a large pot and cover them with cold water. Add the ½ tsp of salt. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until they are fork tender.
Drain the potatoes well and return them back to their pot (the residual heat in the pot will help remove additional water from the potatoes). Mash the potatoes (I use a potato masher but you can also use a hand mixer). Stir in the milk and 3-4 TBS of butter. Add the caramelized leeks and if using, the spinach. Mix well. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Set aside.
While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the meat mixture.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add 1 TBS of butter and 1 TBS of oil (or less if the meat is fatty). Add the ground beef and lamb. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, break up the meat as it cooks. Cook for about 8 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink. Remove the skillet from the heat and using a spoon, carefully remove the excess grease from the pan and discard.
Remove the meat from the skillet and set aside. Return the skillet to the heat and if necessary, add the final TBS of butter and TBS of oil. Add the onions and carrots. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 8 minutes or until the carrots are lightly browned and the onions are translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for one minute more.
Return the cooked meat to the pan. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the Worcestershire sauce and red wine. Cook for one minute or just until the wine is absorbed. Add the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer.
Meanwhile, mix the flour with just enough cold water to make a smooth paste (slurry). I find it easier to get a smooth consistency by using a fork rather than a spoon to blend the flour and water together. Slowly add the slurry to the simmering vegetables, stirring all of the time. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is thickened. Remove from the heat and add the peas and 1 TBS of fresh parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Carefully pour the mixture into an 8 x 8 casserole dish.
Top the meat mixture with the mashed potatoes and spread it evenly over the top. Sprinkle the top with the smoked Gouda. You can also drizzle the top of the potatoes with oil or small pieces of butter and a sprinkling of paprika as a garnish and to help the browning process.
Bake the Shepherd’s Pie for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly browned. Remove the pie from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes before serving. To serve, garnish with the remaining TBS of fresh parsley.
Depending on appetites, this makes 4 to 6 servings.
Rich lamb and beef stew topped with mashed potatoes without any spinach added.
Don’t Freak Out!
1) Make it vegan. Omit the butter and use oil instead. For the mashed potatoes, substitute unsweetened coconut milk or vegetable stock for the milk. For the topping, use smoked vegan cheese shreds. If you can’t find vegan cheese (it's just making an appearance at my local supermarket), then top the Shepherd’s Pie with a light sprinkling of smoked paprika.
2) Make the Meaty Version kosher. Omit the butter and use oil instead. For the mashed potatoes, substitute unsweetened coconut milk or vegetable stock for the milk. For the topping, use smoked vegan cheese shreds. If you can’t find vegan cheese, then top the Shepherd’s Pie with a light sprinkling of smoked paprika. If you follow the kosher law of not combining fish and meat in the same meal, use the vegan Worcestershire sauce instead of the original.
3) Make it halal / non-alcoholic. Omit the red wine and add an additional tablespoon of tomato paste instead.
4) You can also stick the Shepherd’s Pie under a broiler for a few minutes or use a torch to if you want the top of it really brown and crusty. I’d still bake it at 375 for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven, crank up the heat to "broil", and then place the pie under the broiler; or remove the pie from the oven and very carefully use a torch to brown the potatoes. Disclaimer: I take no responsibility for any and all browning mishaps on your end! Please, be careful if you go this route.
5) Try topping the Shepherd’s Pie with other kinds of mashed root vegetables like sweet potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, or parsnips. A combination of sweet potatoes, yellow potatoes, carrots and parsnips mashed together would be delicious. Or go funky and use all purple potatoes. You could also add cooked pieces of bacon or pancetta to the potato mixture.
6) Don’t want to mess with cleaning and caramelizing leeks? Throw a handful of prepared canned onions—yes, the kind used in green bean casserole—into the mashed potato mixture instead.
7) You can use all ground lamb or all ground beef in the Meaty Version. Or use ground chicken, turkey or pork instead. ¾ pound of ground pork mixed with ¼ pound of garlicky pork sausage would also be delicious.
8) Try out different greens in the potato mixture. Use the traditional kale or try Swiss chard, collard greens, bok choy, cabbage (if you're using purple potatoes, purple cabbage would really drive home the funky color), stinging nettle, or for additional zip, mustard greens.