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Shepherd's Pie

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

Mashed Potato Topping:

  • 2 lbs russet potatoes peeled and cubed
  • 2 Tbsp sour cream or cream cheese
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/2 C light or heavy cream
  • kosher salt and pepper

Alternative Mashed Cauliflower Topping (Low Carb):

  • 1 head cauliflower cut into florets (about 5 cups)
  • 3 garlic cloves peeled
  • 1/4 C cream cheese
  • 2 Tbsp shredded or grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1-2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper (optional)

Meat Pie:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 3/4 lbs lean ground beef (90-93%)
  • 1 carrot peeled and chopped into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion peeled and diced
  • kosher salt and pepper
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/3 C port
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 1 C beef broth or stock
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 C frozen peas
  • 2 Tbsp butter sliced into 6 pieces
  • 1 tsp paprika (optional)
  • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions
 

Mashed Potato Topping:

  • Boil potatoes in salted water until completely tender. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl or back into the pot.
  • Combine the sour cream, egg yolk and cream in a separate bowl and mix. Add the cream mixture into the potatoes and mash until potatoes are mostly smooth. Set aside.

Alternative Mashed Cauliflower Topping:

  • Place cauliflower florets and whole garlic cloves in a steamer basket. Put about 1 inch of water in a pot and bring to a boil, placing steamer basket over the water and cover with the lid. Steam the cauliflower until completely fork tender, about 15-20 minutes.
  • Transfer the cauliflower and garlic cloves into a food processor. Pulse a few times to break up the cauliflower. Add the cream cheese, egg yolk, parmesan, salt and pepper, if using, and pulse until the cauliflower is just smooth then stop. Do not overblend but there should be no lumps. Taste again for salt as this can be bland and add more if needed. Set aside.

Meat Pie:

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 11 X 7 pan with cooking spray.
  • Put carrots in a small bowl with 1 Tbsp water, and cover with plastic wrap leaving a small hole for steam. Microwave until they start to get a little tender but are not cooked through, about 2 minutes.
  • In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions. Cook the onions until they start to become translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook, chopping up the meat as it cooks, until fully browned. Add about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp pepper while cooking the meat. Add the carrots and minced garlic and cook 1 minute until garlic becomes fragrant. Make a hole in center of meat and add tomato paste, stirring it into the meat, cooking about 1 minute. Slowly add the port and cook until the liquid is almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the meat mixture and cook, stirring it in about 1-2 minutes. Stir in the beef broth and Worcestershire and bring to a simmer, cooking until the mixture thickens. Stir in the peas and remove from heat. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
  • Pour meat mixture into prepared pan. Pour potato (or cauliflower) mixture on top of the meat and with a spatula smooth the top being sure to cover all the meat. Sprinkle top with paprika if using. Dot the top with pats of butter.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until it is bubbling and top starts to brown. Remove from oven and let sit 10-15 minutes before serving. Top with parsley if using.
  • Enjoy!