Traditional Shepherd’s Pie with Lamb

This is the best shepherd’s pie recipe if you ask me! It always gets rave reviews! Ground lamb is infused with Guinness beer and savoury herbs like rosemary and thyme. The whole lot is topped with creamy horseradish mashed potatoes to make a super comforting, stick-to-ya-ribs traditional shepherd’s pie that you’re gonna love!

Hello, you guys! Happy Friday! St. Patrick’s Day is pretty popular around here. A lot of people in the city will venture down to George Street (two blocks long and has the most pubs and bars per capita of any street in North America!!!)

Though I’ve been to George Street in my younger years, these days I don’t particularly care to go out on St. Patrick’s Day to all the crowd filled pubs and drink ma face off.  No, I’d rather stay in the comfort of home and quietly have a beer in my comfy clothes?  But, whatever floats your boat, right??

Newfoundland has a lot of Irish influence.  Do you know that the Irish name for Newfoundland is Talamh an Éisc (the land of the fish). 

Most of the early settlers of Newfoundland were of English and Irish descent.  We definitely have a unique accent around here and even within areas of the province, you will find countless dialects.

And don’t even get me started on the WICKED fish-n-chips we have ’round here. Anywho, shepherd’s pie!!  This is a winter comfort food necessity, especially around St. Patrick’s Day!

What’s your plan for St. Patrick’s Day? It’s on a Friday this year and I’m sure there will be A LOT of people celebrating and a lot of them wanting comfort the next day.  Speaking of which, this shepherd’s pie is also fantastic leftover 😉

For me, though, my perfect weekend night would be making something good (like this lamb shepherd’s pie),  having a beer or glass of vino, curling up on the couch with hubby and furry child and just vegging out!

So, onto this delicious recipe, shall we?

What is Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s pie is a traditional Irish recipe made with ground lamb and vegetables cooked in a little gravy-like sauce.  It’s topped with mashed potato and baked until bubbling and the top is golden brown. 

Even though the word ‘pie’ is in the name, there is no pastry involved here.  The carb component of this recipe is mashed potatoes.

How to Make Shepherd’s Pie

Making lamb shepherd’s pie is easy peasy!  There’s no intense cooking skills or anything required and the payoff is delicious! 

It’s one of those dishes that is ultra comforting and just what you want on a cold day.  So, to make this easy shepherd’s pie –

• Cook onion & garlic in a pan on the stove top
• Add carrot, season with salt & pepper.  To carrot, add stock and cook until stock is mostly absorbed.
• Next, lamb goes into the pan. Season and cook for a bit.
• Add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and herbs. Stir.
• To create a little ‘sauce’, sprinkle flour over top , stirring, and pour in beer.
• Peas and corn are added to the mixture.
• Top with mashed potatoes
• Bake until bubbly and top is golden brown
• Enjoy!

What’s the Difference Between Shepherd’s Pie vs Cottage Pie?

Like I mentioned, Newfoundland has a lot of Irish influence.  So, growing up I ate my fair share of ‘Shepherd’s Pie’.  But, now I know that it wasn’t exactly ‘shepherd’s pie’.  It was ‘cottage pie’. 

Ground lamb wasn’t as readily available as it is now and not as budget friendly as beef. 

Basically, both recipes are similar, but the difference is that traditional Irish shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb.  Whereas, cottage pie is made with ground beef.

How to Make Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

I know the ground lamb mixture is super delish and pretty much the major component of this recipe.  However, the mash is too! These are deadly, you guys.

To make these mashed potatoes the best that that could possibly be, I recommend –

• Scrub/wash the potatoes (russets works great), peel and cut into chunks.  Boil in a pot of salted water until tender.
• Instead of immediately mashing the potatoes, use a ricer to rice them.
• Next,  add warm cream, butter and horseradish (hubby’s idea for the horseradish and it works brilliantly). Stir until just combined.
• Scoop horseradish mash on top of lamb mixture in pan and spread right to the edge. The key to get those golden brown edgy bits is don’t smooth it out evenly. Those little peaks and valleys are what I love and not only does it taste good, it makes for a more visually appealing shepherd’s pie.

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Can you Freeze Shepherd’s Pie?

Ideally, you’d make this shepherd’s pie and eat it within a couple days.  However, if you have leftovers you can freeze it.

The integrity of the potato will not be the same after freezing, but it will work in a pinch (and who wants to throw away leftovers??) 

To freeze, simply place leftover shepherd’s pie in a freezer safe container with a tight lid and place in freezer.  Thaw overnight in fridge. To warm, place in an oven safe container and bake at 375 F until heated through (about an hour).

How to Reheat

If the shepherd’s pie has not been frozen and you are simply reheating the next day, place in the oven at 375 F until heated through (time will vary depending on the portion you have).

Tips For Recipe Success

Don’t want to use beer?  No worries! Sub with beef stock.

Not a fan of horseradish?  You could totally omit that if that’s not your jam.

Speaking of horseradish, go for a quality product (keeping with the Irish theme here, from Ireland if you can get it).

Don’t want to serve in a cast iron skillet?  Try one or two loaf pans instead. Or, alternatively, portion into individual serving dishes.

Whatever you do, when baking, place pan on top of a baking sheet to catch any gravy bubbling over. Ain’t nobody got time for an extra messy oven afterwards.

If you prefer less potatoes on top (but, why?), I suggest cutting the potato portion of the recipe (and it’s components) by about a quarter. You do you, right? More on those potatoes below.

Don’t have fresh herbs on hand? Use 1/3 less dried.  So, use 1 tsp of dried rosemary and about 3/4 tsp of dried thyme.

Once this shepherd’s pie is baked, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before devouring it.

What to Serve with Shepherd’s Pie

• Fries or wedges
• Green Beans
• Mushy Peas
• Green Salad
• Bread

Variations for this Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

If you are completely stuck and don’t have lamb, use ground beef (though it will technically be a ‘cottage pie’ as mentioned above).

Want another type of veg? Try adding celery along with the carrot.

Want to thicken this classic shepherd’s pie without flour? Thicken with a cornstarch slurry instead.  Simply mix about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with equal parts cold water and stir into lamb mixture instead of flour.

Instead of horseradish, mix in about 6-8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese.

Rather not use russet potato? Try sweet potato instead.

Other Easy Traditional Recipes you May Enjoy

• Traditional Newfoundland Cod au Gratin – This classic Newfoundland recipe is made with plenty of fresh cod in a creamy sauce. Topped with cheese and bread crumbs, it’s super comforting and delicious!
• Traditional Newfoundland Salt Cod Fish Cakes – My Mother-in-Law’s recipe for salt cod fish cakes is always a winner! There’s lots of salt cod, potatoes and savoury. They’re pan fried until golden brown and yummy.

Hope you think this is the best shepherd’s pie recipe too 😉  We love it around here!

And if you’re looking for a delicious variation, try this vegan shepherd’s pie recipe with sweet potato.

Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon,

~Dawn

P.S. If you think this traditional shepherd’s pie recipe will make your belly happy too, please be sure to Pin for later. Many thanks, you guys! XO

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5 from 10 votes

Traditional Shepherd’s Pie with Lamb

This is the best shepherd's pie recipe if you ask me! It always gets rave reviews! Ground lamb is infused with Guinness beer and savoury herbs like rosemary and thyme. The whole lot is topped with creamy horseradish mashed potatoes to make a super comforting, stick-to-ya-ribs traditional shepherd's pie that you're gonna love!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Irish

Keyword lamb shepherd’s pie, St. Patrick’s Day recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 522kcal

Author Dawn – Girl Heart Food

Ingredients

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

• 3-4 large potatoes -peeled and cut into chunks (about 4 cups mashed)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream -warmed
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter -melted
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp good quality horseradish

Shepherd’s Pie

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion -minced
• 3 cloves garlic -minced
• 2 carrots -peeled and chopped into little pieces
• 3/4 tsp salt -divided
• 1/2 tsp black pepper -divided
• 1 pound ground lamb – or ground beef
• 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 1.5 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary -chopped, plus more for garnish
• 2 tsp fresh thyme -chopped, plus more for garnish
• pinch nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp chili flakes
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup Guinness Beer – or unsalted chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup frozen corn

Instructions

Creamy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

• Boil potatoes in salted water until fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
• Using a potato ricer, rice potatoes. To potatoes add cream, butter, salt and horseradish. Mash well. Reserve.

Shepherd’s Pie

• In a cast iron pan (I used a 10 inch) over medium low heat add olive oil. Cook onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. To onion add garlic and cook an additional minute.
• To onion/garlic mixture, add carrot and cook 5 minutes. Season with 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper. Add stock and cook about 5 minutes until stock mostly absorbed. Push veggie mixture to one side of pan.
• Add lamb to pan, breaking up into pieces (potato masher works well here). Season with remaining 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Combine with veggies and cook until lamb browned, about 10 minutes.
• To mixture, add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg and chili flakes. Stir to combine. From a height, sprinkle flour over lamb, stirring to combine.
• Add beer to lamb and cook 3-5 minutes. Most of the liquid will absorb rather quickly, but you’ll still have some moisture there. Add peas and corn and stir to combine.
• Top lamb mixture with reserved mashed potatoes (don't smooth out evenly – you want little bumps and dips because they will brown nicely in the oven and add some texture). Place pan on baking sheet (to catch any bubbling over just in case) and bake at 375 F for 45 minutes. Garnish with additional rosemary and thyme (optional). Let rest 10-15 minutes before serving. Don't skip this. Enjoy!

Notes

• Don’t want to use beer?  No worries! Sub with beef stock.
• Not a fan of horseradish?  You could totally omit that if that’s not your jam.
• Speaking of horseradish, go for a quality product (keeping with the Irish theme here, from Ireland if you can get it).
• Instead of horseradish, try some shredded cheddar cheese, if you like.
• Don’t want to serve in a cast iron skillet?  Try one or two loaf pans instead. Or, alternatively, portion into individual serving dishes.
• Whatever you do, when baking, place pan on top of a baking sheet to catch any gravy bubbling over. 
• If you prefer less potatoes on top, I suggest cutting the potato portion of the recipe (and it’s components) by about a quarter.
• Don’t have fresh herbs on hand? Use 1/3 less dried.  So, use 1 tsp of dried rosemary and about 3/4 tsp of dried thyme.
• Once this shepherd’s pie is baked, let it rest for 10-15 minutes before devouring it.
• If you are completely stuck and don’t have lamb, use ground beef (though it will technically be a ‘cottage pie’ as mentioned above).
• Want another type of veg? Try adding celery along with the carrot.
• Want to thicken this classic shepherd’s pie without flour? Thicken with a cornstarch slurry instead.  Simply mix about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with equal parts cold water and stir into lamb mixture instead of flour.
• Instead of horseradish, mix in about 6-8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese.
• Rather not use russet potato? Try sweet potato instead.
• See body of post above for more recipe tips.

Tried this recipe? That’s awesome!Mention @dawn.girlheartfood or tag #girlheartfood

Nutrition (estimate only)

Calories: 522kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 700mg | Potassium: 1028mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4045IU | Vitamin C: 24.6mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 6.5mg

Nutrition Facts

Traditional Shepherd's Pie with Lamb

Amount Per Serving

Calories 522 Calories from Fat 315

% Daily Value*

Fat 35g54%

Saturated Fat 17g106%

Cholesterol 102mg34%

Sodium 700mg30%

Potassium 1028mg29%

Carbohydrates 31g10%

Fiber 5g21%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 18g36%

Vitamin A 4045IU81%

Vitamin C 24.6mg30%

Calcium 95mg10%

Iron 6.5mg36%

* Nutrition estimate only. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.