Shepherd’s Pie

Fun fact: While shepherd’s pie is certainly a traditional favorite, it’s only a shepherd’s pie if lamb is used. If beef is used, it’s called “cottage pie.”

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 lb lean ground beef or lamb –
2 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon tomato paste
12 oz bag frozen peas and carrots
2 cups beef broth
6-8 russet potatoes (or Yukon gold)
½ cup sour cream
½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 tablespoon ranch seasoning mix
1-2 tbsp chopped parsley, optional garnish

2 tablespoon dried parsley
1 sprig of fresh rosemary ( or 1 tablespoon dried rosemary)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon pepper

Optional: parmesan cheese crumbles

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• On medium heat, add the olive oil and diced onion to a skillet and cook sautee until soft and translucent.
• Add the ground meat, dried parsley, rosemary, dried thyme, and black pepper.
• Add the ground beef and cook thoroughly.
• Drain any excess fat from the skillet.
• Add the minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Stir in the flour and tomato paste. Cook 5 minutes on medium heat.
• Add the frozen peas and carrots and the beef broth and combine well.
• Cover pan and turn heat to low and start peeling potatoes. Cut them into small 1-2” pieces.
• Add to water and bring to a boil. Boil potatoes for approximately 15-20 minutes (or until potatoes are fork-tender).
• Drain potatoes and add sour cream, butter, and ranch seasoning. Mash well until no lumps remain.
• Remove rosemary stalk and add meat mixture to a 9×13 casserole dish and top with the mashed potatoes evenly.
• Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the pie starts to bubble at the sides.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.
• For extra flavor, poke holes in the baked top of the potatoes with a fork prior to garnishing with parsley. Sprinkle parmesan cheese all over so the cheese falls into the crevices of the top layering and bake just a few extra minutes in the oven. This will create a cheesy, crispier layer to the very top.