Shepherd’s Pie

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Why we love it:

This dish is much more simple than you might think. Though it takes longer than an hour, much of that is baking and waiting. If you prep ahead it’s even easier! For the baking dish, use an enamel Dutch oven and just bake it in the same pan you sauté it in. A large cast iron skillet would be impressive for sautéing to baking as well. If you don’t have that, you can sauté in a pan then transfer to a casserole dish of any kind that is oven safe.

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Ingredients

1¹⁄₂ pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes (about 5 medium sized)
¹⁄₂ cup Whole Milk (cream, half and half, or sour cream or yogurt)
¹⁄₄ cup Unsalted Butter
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more or less to taste)
2 Shallots (minced)
3 Carrots
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound Ground Beef
¹⁄₂ bunch Fresh Thyme
2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
2 Tablespoons Flour
¹⁄₂ cup Red Wine (optional)
2 cups Vegetable Stock
2 cups Frozen Peas

Cooking Instructions

1. MASHED POTATOES

We’ll get the potatoes started first. Peel the potatoes and cut in quarters. Place in a pot and cover with water. Boil until they’re fork tender. Drain well and return to the hot pot. Mash them and mix in the milk and butter. Season to taste with about a ½ teaspoon of salt, add more to taste if needed. Set aside.

*Want to save time and waste? Don’t peel the potatoes! We don’t mind the rustic texture and love the extra nutrients and fiber. Wash and dice the potatoes, mash with the skins on. Huzzah!
2. SHALLOT + CARROT

Peel and slice the shallot, half-moon shapes are nice. Wash the carrot and trim the ends. Finely dice.
In a large oven-safe pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and carrots, stir often
3. BEEF

After 2-3 minutes, add the ground beef and break up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until it’s no longer pink. Add a few sprigs of thyme whole, you can pull the stems out later.
4. GRAVY

Add tomato paste and flour to the pot at the same time and stir or whisk, ensure that you’re scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 minute. Pour in the red wine and scrape all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the wine cook out for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the broth, stirring it in until a thickened gravy starts to form. Season with the remaining salt. Simmer over low heat for about 3 minutes to thicken further.
5. BAKE

If the pot you have sautéed in will be the final container you’re ready for the potato topping. If you have a different casserole dish for baking, transfer everything into the final dish. Remove the thyme sprigs and stir in the peas.

Spread the potatoes on the top to form a crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 350. If you’d like extra browning, dot with butter and finish on broil for a few minutes.
6. SERVING

Spoon into bowls. Leftovers are great for a week and the layered dish would freeze perfectly for up to 4 months.

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Substitutions

GLUTEN FREE :

omit flour in the gravy and add a few Tablespoons of the mashed potatoes to the pot with the tomato paste, it will thicken it up! Or don’t add anything else, just have a thinner sauce, it will still taste great
DAIRY FREE:

use milk substitute or almond/cashew yogurt in the mashed potatoes, use olive oil instead of butter
PALEO:

omit the flour and make the topping with mashed cauliflower
WINE:

white wine, beer, or omit wine and add 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
BEEF:

ground lamb, turkey or chicken
WHITE POTATOES:

sweet potatoes (peeled) or a combination of root vegetables makes the topping interesting, try turnips, celery root and rutabagas. Or, use butternut squash, carrots or cauliflower for a lighter veggie topping
KIDS CORNER:

try serving components separately for kids, maybe lift some sautéed meat out before adding the gravy ingredients, serve a side of regular mashed potatoes and sautéed peas