Shepherd's Pie I
Cottage pie, or shepherd's pie, is a meat pie with a mashed potato top. It is traditionally made with leftover roast meat, but today it is more often made with fresh minced meat.
- Prep
- 37 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 26 min
- Total
- 2 hr 3 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Advanced
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Heat oil in a pan and brown the mince. Where lean meat is used, there may be no need to use additional oil.
Procedure
Finely chop the onion and lightly fry in a little butter with a small amount of salt until clear.
Procedure
Add the onions to the mince, mixed herbs, and some pepper.
Procedure
Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, stir, and cook for 3–4 minutes (if using gravy powder, omit this step).
Procedure
Cover with lamb or beef stock (or add water and beef bouillon/gravy powder) and simmer for 30 minutes.
Procedure
Test the savoury mince for seasoning. If gravy is not used, additional salt may be needed.
Procedure
Meanwhile: Peel, chop and boil the potatoes for 20 minutes until cooked. Once the meat is cooked, skim off the excess fat, then reduce the savoury mince until the liquid is level with the mince and onions. Drain the potatoes until completely dry. Mash until smooth and free of any lumps. Add butter to the mashed potato, taste and add seasoning as required. Slowly add milk whilst mashing until the mash is soft and creamy (heavy mash will not float properly on top of the mince).
Procedure
Put mince mixture in a shallow oven-proof dish.
Procedure
Layer the mash over the meat and brush the tops of the potatoes with melted butter.
Procedure
If desired, sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the mash.
Procedure
If cooking without cheese, rough up the surface of the mash by dragging a fork across it, as if ploughing a field.
Procedure
Bake in a hot oven for about 30–50 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Procedure
Serve with peas or beans, or other green vegetables.
Notes, tips, and variations
The terms are often used interchangeably, regardless of meat, though many cookbooks refer to "shepherd's pie" if made with lamb, and "cottage pie" if made with beef, or highlight the possible variations within a single recipe.
Notes, tips, and variations
Adding the butter and milk to the potatoes before they are properly mashed is the best way to make lumpy mash.
Notes, tips, and variations
Roughing up the surface of the mash makes the top crisper, by increasing the surface area and providing thin sections which dry out and crisp faster; compare roast potatoes.
Notes, tips, and variations
Frying the meat in lard can improve the texture and consistency of the finished product, although this also has the effect of increasing drastically the saturated fat content.
Notes, tips, and variations
As with many dishes based on minced meat, the mince can be cooked for much longer in the stock than specified, up to two hours. Some cooks prefer this as it gives longer for the flavour to develop. People often comment that shepherd's pie tastes better when reheated the day after for this reason. A quicker alternative is to add a splash of Cookbook:Worcestershire Sauce or Cookbook:Soy Sauce, both of which act as flavour enhancers.
Notes, tips, and variations
Peas or small chopped carrots are often integrated into the mince during the reduction step.
Photo: Samuel Engelking · CC BY 3.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 19 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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