Perfect! Here’s a classic shepherd’s pie recipe that serves about 4–6 people:
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 lb (450 g) ground lamb (or beef for cottage pie)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup beef or lamb stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
For the mashed potato topping:
- 2 lbs (900 g) potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 4 tbsp butter
- ¼–½ cup milk (adjust for creaminess)
- Salt & pepper
- Optional: ½ cup grated cheese (cheddar works well)
Instructions
- Cook the potatoes:
- Boil in salted water until tender (about 15–20 min).
- Drain, mash with butter, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Make the filling:
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Sauté onions and carrots for 5–7 min until softened.
- Add garlic and cook 1 min more.
- Add ground lamb, breaking it up, and cook until browned.
- Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Pour in stock, simmer 5–10 min until slightly thickened.
- Stir in frozen peas at the end.
- Assemble the pie:
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Spoon the meat filling into a baking dish.
- Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the top.
- Optional: sprinkle grated cheese on top.
- Use a fork to lightly texture the potato surface (helps it brown nicely).
- Bake:
- Bake 20–25 min until the top is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
- Let rest 5 min before serving.
💡 Tips:
- For extra flavor, add a splash of red wine to the meat while simmering.
- Leftovers taste amazing reheated and even better the next day.
If you want, I can also give you a super-easy shortcut version that’s just as tasty but takes half the time. Do you want me to do that?
