SHEPHERD’S PIE
ost is sponsored by the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. I received monetary compensation, as well as free product, in exchange for sharing my experience visiting a local grass-fed beef farm. Thank you, Ray Family Farms, for hosting my visit and providing the inspiration for my shepherd’s pie recipe.
SHEPHERD’S PIE
I believe the best dishes start with love and this shepherd’s pie has got it in spades. With its savory beef and veggie filling topped with decadent mashed potatoes, it’s best served when the weather’s cold and you’re craving a stick-to-your-ribs comfort food dinner.
ABOUT THE BEEF
And the recipe I’m sharing today started with a visit to a beef farm. I was invited to tour Ray Family Farms — a family-owned farm not far from where I live — where I learned about locally produced beef and Ray Family Farm’s herd of Belted Galloway cattle.
There are benefits in supporting locally produced beef. Chad Ray, along with his family, put a lot of thought and care into their products starting with cattle who wander in the pastures munching on grass on their 200-acre farm. The animals are well-cared and live a stress-free life, which in-turn makes for a superior product.
There are many reasons to choose grass-fed beef, but meeting Chad and his family and seeing first hand how the animals are cared for, and the hard work and passion required to operate a family farm gave me a whole new appreciation for local growers and their products. It’s not often we get to meet the people who provide our food and it’s something I want to continue to support.
HOW TO MAKE SHEPHERD’S PIE
Technically, if we want to be picky about these things, a traditional shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, but where I’m from (oh, hi, Wyoming!) everyone always called a savory beef and veggie filling topped with mashed potatoes “shepherd’s pie”, so I’m sticking with it. Please send my apologies to the food police 😉
I used the ground beef I got at Ray Family Farms. The beef is cooked in a skillet along with onions, garlic, and carrots until the vegetables are tender and the beef is cooked through.
A little beef stock and Worcestershire sauce, along with the pan juices, are thickened with some flour to make a gravy as it all simmers.
I used frozen peas and, because they don’t need a long cook time, I added them to the beef and other veggies after they has some time to cook in the gravy.
Boiled potatoes are mashed and mixed with some cream and butter to make a dreamy, fluffy topping for the shepherd’s pie. The peaks and ridges take on a beautiful golden color after sitting under the broiler for a few minutes.
I like to use my cast iron skillet to make the filling so after I spread the mashed potatoes over the top, it can go straight into the oven. Any oven-proof skillet will work or you can transfer the filling to a baking dish, too.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Category: Main Course
DESCRIPTION
Traditional shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, but this version uses ground beef. It’s classic comfort food and a favorite cold weather dinner. This recipe feeds four hungry people but can stretch to feed six if you have other things (i.e. salad, veggies) on the side.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ large yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 large carrots, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1/3 cup beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, cubed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil them for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender.
- While the potatoes are boiling, melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and carrots and cook them until they start to soften, approximately 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and beef, using a spatula to break it up as it cooks. Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Sprinkle the flour over the top of the beef and stir. Add the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Let it simmer until the juices thicken.
- Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash the potatoes to break them up. Add the butter and heavy cream. Continue mashing until the potatoes are smooth and the cream and butter is incorporated. Season with the black pepper and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt.
- Add the peas and parsley to the beef and vegetables and stir to combine. Top the beef with the mashed potatoes and spread them into an even layer. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the top of the potatoes.
- Turn the oven to broil. Place the skillet on a sheet pan (in case anything bubbles over the edges of the skillet) and place it under the broiler. Keep and eye on it and once the potatoes start to take on some golden edges, remove it from the oven and serve.
NUTRITION
Calories: 794
Fat: 51.1g
Carbohydrates: 52.1g
Fiber: 9.2g
Protein: 32.7g
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