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Shepherd's Pie

Name: Shepherd's Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 907 g / 2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks; 56 g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter; 114 g / 1/2 cup milk, warm; 6 g / 1 tsp table salt; 12.5 g / 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 medium onion, diced; 2 carrots, diced; 680 g / 1 1/2 lb ground lamb, or ground beef for cottage pie; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 15 g / 2 tbsp all-purpose flour; 1 cup beef broth; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp dried thyme; 3 g / 1/2 tsp table salt; 1 cup frozen peas

Savory ground lamb and vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with buttery mashed potatoes and baked until golden.

Makes: 6 servings · Pan: 9 × 13-inch or 3-quart baking dish · Oven: 400 °F (205 °C)

⚖ Scale this recipe Print

Ingredients

Volume	Grams
Potato topping
2 lb russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks	907 g
4 tbsp unsalted butter	56 g
1/2 cup milk, warm	114 g
1 tsp table salt	6 g
Filling
1 tbsp olive oil	12.5 g
1 medium onion, diced	—
2 carrots, diced	—
1 1/2 lb ground lamb, or ground beef for cottage pie	680 g
2 tbsp tomato paste	—
2 tbsp all-purpose flour	15 g
1 cup beef broth	—
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce	—
1 tsp dried thyme	—
1/2 tsp table salt	3 g
1 cup frozen peas	—

Gram weights use the King Arthur Baking ingredient weight chart; amounts given in lb or oz are converted by weight (1 lb = 453.6 g, 1 oz = 28.35 g); “—” means the ingredient isn’t on the chart, so measure it by volume or count. Measure flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling, or better, weigh it.

Method

Boil the potatoes in salted water until very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash with the butter, warm milk and salt.
Heat the oven to 400 °F. Warm the oil in a large skillet and cook the onion and carrots until softened, about 6 minutes.
Add the lamb and cook, breaking it up, until no pink remains. Spoon off excess fat.
Stir in the tomato paste and flour for 1 minute, then add the broth, Worcestershire, thyme and salt. Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, then stir in the peas.
Spread the filling in the baking dish and cover with the mashed potatoes, roughing up the top with a fork.
Bake 25–30 minutes, until the filling bubbles at the edges and the potato peaks are browned.

Tips

Made with beef, the same dish is called cottage pie.
For extra-crisp peaks, broil for the last 2 minutes and watch closely.

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