Best Shepherd’s Pie Recipe is really a cottage pie. The difference between a cottage pie and a Shepherd’s Pie is the meat. Shepherd’s Pie traditionally was made with lamb, and cottage pie is made with beef or some other ground meat. But today I am going to make my Shepherd’s Pie with turkey, and I am calling it Shepherd’s Pie.
Comfort Food At It’s Finest
This recipe is really the epitome of comfort food. You have a delicious meat dish with warm, creamy gravy and mashed potatoes. What better way to make you feel all warm and cozy? Serve this dish with some warm yeast rolls or some homemade biscuits with butter and honey, and I am making my mouth water.
Originally, this dish was made with leftovers from Sunday dinner. But today most of the time it is made from scratch with fresh ingredients. However, if you have leftovers that you want to toss in, that is okay too.
This Best Shepherd’s Pie Recipe is Very Versatile
From the recipes that I have found, you can pretty much use whatever you want to construct this dish.
Start with your potatoes. There are several varieties to choose from. Russets, Yukon Gold, Red-skinned, or whatever you choose, or should I say, have on hand, will work just fine. You will need approximately 2 pounds. Cut them up, cover with cold water, and bring the water to a boil. After the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook until tender. About 20 minutes or so.
Next, you want to pick your meat: You will need about 1 1/2 lbs of ground meat. Choose ground beef, ground lamb, ground turkey, or ground chicken.
To Make The Filling
To make the filling for your Shepherd’s Pie. This is the creative part! Heat about 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in 1 chopped onion, season with salt and pepper, stirring until the onions are soft, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Next, add increase the heat to medium-high and add the ground meat. Cook the meat breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until it is no longer pink. Spoon off the excess fat.
Add 3 tablespoons of tomato paste or ketchup and cook, stirring until darkened about 1 minute. (I substituted a can of Rotel crushed tomatoes with green chilis, drained)) Add 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Stir in 3/4 cup dry white or red wine (depending on the meat you are using) Simmer until the skillet is nearly dry, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and 1 can of cream of soup (your choice onion, celery, mushroom) simmer until the mixture is saucy another 4 to 5 minutes.
Vegetables
Now you are ready to add your vegetables. I always use frozen mixed vegetables. But you can also use a variety of other vegetables like peas, corn, or lima beans for example. You need 1 cup added to the meat mixture. Then transfer the filling to a 3-quart baking dish.
The Assembly
You are now ready to assemble your dish. Your potatoes should be mashed. If you like to dress up your mashed potatoes you can add onions, garlic, cheese, etc. Then spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture and spread it out evenly to cover the meat mixture using the back of your spoon.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, until the topping is golden. Let it cool for at least 10 minutes. Then enjoy with a bottle of delicious Chardonnay.
You can have wine delivered to your door just like I do if you join our Wine of the Month Club.
Shopping list:
2 LBS Potatoes
1 1/2 lbs ground meat (beef, turkey, lamb)
1 Onion
3 T tomato paste
1 can of Rotel crushed tomatoes
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
3/4 C dry white or red wine
1C Broth (chicken or beef
1 can of cream of soup (your choice celery, onion, mushroom, etc)
1 C Frozen Vegetables