The Best Lamb Shepherd’s Pie
Creamy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
- 3 to 4 large potatoes (a good mashing potato, like Russet or Yukon Gold), peeled and cut into chunks (enough to yield about 4 cups of mashed potatoes)
- ½ cup heavy cream (whipping cream), warmed
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup prepared horseradish
Shepherd’s Pie
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into little pieces
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound ground lamb, or use ground beef for “cottage pie”
- 1.5 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves, plus more for optional garnish
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, plus more for optional garnish
- pinch ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup stout beer, like Guinness (or use chicken broth)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup frozen corn kernels
Instructions
Creamy Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
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Boil potatoes in a pot of salted water until fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Using a potato ricer, rice potatoes into a bowl. To potatoes, add heavy cream, butter, salt and horseradish. Mash well. Set the mashed potatoes aside.
Note: When boiling, there should be an inch or two of water above the potatoes, basically ensuring that they are fully submerged and covered by the water.
Shepherd’s Pie Filling
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Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet (I used a 10-inch) over medium-low heat.
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Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
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To onion/garlic mixture, add carrots and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Add chicken broth and cook for 5 minutes or until broth is mostly absorbed. Push veggie mixture to one side of the skillet.
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Add lamb to skillet. Season with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Combine lamb with veggies and cook, breaking the lamb into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until the lamb is fully cooked through (the lamb should no longer be pink and be browned all the way through), about 10 minutes.
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To mixture, add Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. From a height, sprinkle flour over lamb, stirring to combine.
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Add beer to lamb and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Most of the liquid will absorb rather quickly, but you’ll still have some moisture there. Add peas and corn and stir to combine.
Assemble the Shepherd’s Pie and Bake
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Top lamb mixture with the mashed potatoes (don’t smooth out evenly, you want little bumps and dips because they will brown nicely in the oven and add some texture).
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Carefully place the skillet of shepherd’s pie onto a baking sheet (to catch any bubbling over, just in case), then transfer to the preheated oven to bake for 45 minutes.
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Once done, garnish with additional rosemary and thyme to taste (optional). Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Don’t skip this. Enjoy!
If you would like to purchase grass-fed, animal welfare approved lamb from Dickinson College Farm please email steimanm@dickinson.edu