The Best Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

The Best Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, minced
  • 1½ carrots, minced
  • 1½ pounds/750 g lamb, minced or ground
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup/240 ml hot beef or Lamb Stock or Chicken Stock
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 cups/850 g freshly made Mashed Potatoes
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C (Gas Mark 4).
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are soft but not browned.
  3. Raise the heat to high, add the lamb, and cook until well browned. Stir in the tomato paste and mustard, then add the stock. Reduce the heat to low, season to taste with salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the stock is mostly but not completely evaporated.
  4. Transfer the meat mixture to a round or rectangular ovenproof baking dish. Cover the meat with mashed potatoes, flattening the top with a knife. (Make a wave or crosshatch pattern in the top of the potatoes, if you like.) Brush the top with melted butter, then bake for 50 minutes.