Rustic Shepherd’s Pie with The Cheesiest Mashed Potatoes

My take on the classic shepherd’s pie recipe! A soul-warming shepherd’s pie scented with herbs and spices and topped with the cheesiest Irish cheddar mashed potatoes. You’ve never had Shepherd’s Pie like this!

Have mercy. Would you look at that bubbly brown, cheesy crust?

This isn’t any old shepherd’s pie recipe. Sure it’s humble food, but that doesn’t mean it has to be bland and boring. It starts with sauteed onions that we’ll cook down until they’re tender, celery, carrots, and of course, tons of garlic, because when do we not use ample amounts of garlic around here? Then there’s also this herb and spice-scented ground lamb (or beef) all blanketed with cheesy Irish cheddar mashed potatoes. It’s fall/winter/spring comfort food, and who can even say no to that?

There’s something so magical about this easy shepherd’s pie recipe. Sure, every family has a version, and sure with every version, you’ll find something that is a little different. Most of the time, I find shepherd’s pie to be a little on the bland side. It’s your simple mirepoix with ground lamb and mashed potatoes on top. And yes, that does sound comforting, but I like to use a few additional ingredients to amp this dish up to a whole new level.

Shepherd’s Pie? Yes. Bland and boring? Heck no.

So much goodness all up in this.

How to make Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients for homemade shepherd’s pie

• Ground lamb: I try to find the leanest ground lamb that I can for this recipe. If yours happens to be regular, make sure to drain as much of the grease from the meat once you’ve browned it in the skillet, before adding the other ingredients.
• Mirepoix: A mirepoix is a combination of chopped onions, carrots, and celery. For this recipe, you’ll want to use equal parts of all three.
• Frozen peas: I always have a bag stashed in the freezer. Just be sure to rinse the green peas under cold water to thaw them before using.
• Garlic: Press the garlic in a garlic press or mince it finely. I also like to have a few cloves on hand for the mashed potatoes!
• Tomato Paste: Adds depth to the recipe.
• Fresh herbs: I use fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, and a bay leaf. The herbs just simmer in the beef gravy for a bit before fishing them out. I don’t like to leave them in because I find it annoying to get a big bunch in a serving! Feel free to leave them in if that doesn’t bother you. You can also replace the herbs with dried thyme, rosemary, etc.
• Seasonings: You’ll need the obvious ones like kosher salt and black pepper, but for my recipe, I also like to add a dash of ground cinnamon and nutmeg. It just amps up all the other flavors. Instead of using flour to thicken the mixture, I use cornstarch. This makes the recipe gluten-free friendly as makes the sauce silky smooth!
• Liquids: Beef broth and Worcestershire sauce are critical to any good shepherd’s pie recipe. You can also use chicken broth instead of beef if you prefer.
• Potatoes: Feel free to use Yukon gold potatoes or russet potatoes for this recipe. I’ve tried it with both, and they work equally well.
• Softened Butter: you’ll need a few tablespoons of unsalted butter for this recipe. We’ll soften the butter and then add it to the mashed potatoes along with the cream cheese and cheddar cheese.
• Cheese: You’ll need both Irish cheddar cheese (or any other white cheddar) as well as softened cream cheese. Instead of using sour cream in my mashed potatoes, I like to use cream cheese for this one as it gives it a more delicious flavor.
• Egg: you’ll need just the egg yolk. I fold this into the mashed potatoes. Not only does it give the potatoes such a rich and delicious flavor, but it also makes for a golden crust!
• Half and Half: Thins out the potatoes. Feel free to use whole milk here instead to make these a little lighter if you’d like.

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Classic shepherd’s pie recipe

1. Prep the potatoes. Start by peeling the potatoes, cutting them into pieces, add them to a large pot of salted water and boil until they’re fork-tender. I like to toss in a few cloves of garlic while they’re boiling to give them extra flavor! When the potatoes are done, drain them, and mash it with a potato masher. Stir in the egg yolk, cream cheese, butter, and Irish cheddar.
2. Make the shepherd’s pie mixture. In a cast iron casserole dish, cook and crumble the ground lamb until the fat has rendered off. Drip the pan to remove the excess grease, or use a napkin to soak it up. Add some oil to the pan and then cook the mirepoix vegetables until it softens. Season with salt and cook them down. Add garlic and season with spices and cornstarch.
3. Make the gravy. Start by preheating the oven. While that’s preheating, continue adding the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, all the herbs, bay leaf, and beef broth. Bring everything to a simmer over medium-high heat and then lower and let it all hand out for 15 minutes. Take out the herbs, add in the peas, taste the filling, and adjust with more salt and pepper as you’d like. Smooth out the layer of filling.
4. Bake and serve. Drop the potatoes in large dollops and then smooth it out with a rubber spatula. If you used a pot that isn’t oven-safe, transfer the filling to a baking dish before topping it with the mashed potatoes. Bake until the potatoes are warmed through, about 15 minutes. Serve warm! Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

• Chicken Tetrazzini
• Chicken Pot Pie with Biscuits
• Chicken Pot Tater Tot Hot Dish
• Best Easy Homemade Sloppy Joes
• One-Pot Lasagna Soup

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