Kyle’s Shepherd’s Pie
It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, the day we celebrate the Irish Bishop who removed the snakes from Ireland that were never there. According to Wikipedia, “Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, céilís, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks” but they missed something… Irish food and drink. Kyle’s ‘wearing the green’ today with his original recipe for Shepherd’s Pie and this little tip: The ideal accompaniment to Shepherd’s Pie is a prudent amount of Jameson whiskey.
Ingredients
- 1LB of ground lamb
- 3-4 large golden potatoes cut into large dice
- 4-6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1-2 sprigs rosemary, leaves removed from stem and chopped
- 1 bunch of thyme, leaves removed from stems
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup red wine or beef stock
- Healthy splash of Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 5 cups shredded white cheddar (the sharper the better)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Preheat oven to 350˚
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add potatoes and cover
- Cook potatoes until soft, pierced easily with a fork. Set aside to cool
- In a large skillet sauté the onions until translucent, 3-4 minutes
- Add lamb to skillet, season with salt and pepper, cook until browned
- Once lamb is browned add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes
- Add rosemary and thyme and stir to incorporate
- Add tomato paste and Worcestershire and mix well
- Add wine or broth, bring to boil and cook down until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes
- Allow mixture to cool for 10 minutes
- Once mixture has cooled some, spread in the bottom of a casserole dish
- Mix potatoes with milk and butter, mash until smooth. Add more milk or butter as needed.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Spread mash over the top of the lamb mixture (gently) and try to completely cover mixture with an even layer of potatoes
- Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, top with shredded cheese, bake another 10 minutes until cheese starts to brown. I usually hit it on Broil for a couple minutes to crisp the cheese.
- Remove the dish from the oven and let rest until the potatoes start to firm back up, about 10-15 minutes typically.
- Cut into large portions and serve!
- Add ins: Most traditional recipes call for peas and diced carrots in the lamb mixture. We also use green beans or broccoli at home for this with wonderful results. Be creative and see what you like best
Original recipe by Kyle Speers
