Shepherd’s Pie

I first became acquainted with shepherd’s pie when I worked as an au pair in Northern London. This was a long time ago, I know, but ever since this dish has remained a family favorite. It has become the ultimate comfort food for everyone, including our grannies. It is the combination of mincemeat in delicious gravy, topped with creamy potato purée and melted, spicy cheese.

I remember that the little boy I was looking after loved this dish so much that he would have eaten it almost every day, provided I put a large amount of cheese on top. 😉 Another favorite of his were my pancakes, which were more like crepes and which he ate with vanilla ice cream. Well, the little boy is a grown man with little twins of his own now and I haven’t seen him for ages. But I love to think back to the wonderful time I had in his and his mum’s house.

It was her who taught me how to make shepherd’s pie and I can assure you it’s really easy. It just takes some time, particularly if you choose to make potato purée from the scratch, as I suggest in my recipe, and not use some convenience product. You’ll taste the difference and everyone in your family will love it, including your little ones and your grandparents.

Yes, you are right, there is no shepherd’s pie in these photos. I am sorry. They are simply the result of some experiments with my new camera. And I called the series “Masculinity meets Femininity”. 😉

The term “Shepherd’s Pie” is not 100% correct for this particular recipe as the original shepherd’s pie is made with minced lamb. I personally prefer beef and I was told that it is perfectly okay nowadays to still call it shepherd’s pie and not cottage pie.

Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 4
For the mashed potatoes:
2 lb potatoes, floury
about ½ cup (100 ml) of milk
about ½ cup (100 ml) double cream
½ teaspoon salt
¼ lb grated cheese (e.g. Cheddar, Emmental)

For the meat:
1 ½ ounces pancetta
some olive oil
about 2 small onions
2 lb minced beef
3 cloves of garlic
¾ cups (170 ml) strong beef stock or gravy
1 ½ tablespoons tomato purée (paste)
½ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon paprika powder
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon salt
pepper
1 tablespoon flour, all-purpose
2 ½ ounces (75 g) grated cheese (e.g. Cheddar, Emmental)

Preheat the grill of the oven or preheat to 250°C /480°F.

For the mashed potatoes peel the potatoes, cut them in 1 inch (2,5 cm) pieces and cook them in salted water until soft.

Chop the pancetta and the onion. Heat the olive oil in a pot large enough to cook the meat in it. Fry the pancetta and the onion until the onion starts to brown. Add the minced beef and roast the meat, stirring constantly to prevent any burning and to get rid of any chunks. Add the crushed garlic, beef stock, tomato purée, mustard powder, paprika powder, thyme, salt and pepper and cook for about 15 minutes until the gravy starts to thicken. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour over the meat and stir well. Fold in the the grated cheese.

Drain the potatoes and mash them very well. Heat the milk and the cream and add only as much milk to get a creamy purée. You might also want to use an immersion blender to get some really creamy potato purée.

Put the meat in an ovenproof dish and use a large spoon to spread the potato purée on the meat. Put the grated cheese on top and put under the grill (or in the preheated oven) until the cheese has melted and started to brown.

Serve with green salad.

Note: Instead of beef stock you can also use gravy.

Here is the recipe for printing: