Irish Shepherd’s Pie Recipe: the Best of Lamb Pies

Shepherd’s pie is truly great comfort food, and with St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaching, do you need a better reason to cook it? It’s a simple and great recipe that can be augmented as you please to produce exciting, new renditions each time.

But for this, we’re going to stick with the fairly traditional Irish shepherd’s pie recipe and I’ll let you know where there are good places to add a twist. It’s basically a simple thick stew, so no need for fancy ingredients or complicated techniques here.

Irish Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Before we get into cooking our Shepherd’s pie though, let’s first talk about some similar recipes. You may have heard of cottage pie. It’s very similar and still has a mashed potato crust, but typically made with ground beef.

How about a pot pie? Also, fairly similar, but it’s usually made with poultry and is enclosed in a dough crust (typically short dough or puff pastry).

Shepherd’s pie is basically an Irish stew, covered with mashed potatoes, and baked until golden brown.

Main Ingredients

Lamb

We use leg of lamb here, but you can use a variety of cuts, such as shoulder chops, shank, etc. You just want to make sure it’s not super lean or tender. You can also use ground lamb as well, but if you do, be sure to reduce the stovetop cooking time a little and use half the stock.

Mirepoix

There’s nothing out of the ordinary here. With the addition of garlic and tomato paste, this is starting off just like you’re cooking a stew. Though if you do want to change things up, you could use leeks in place of the onions and add some mushrooms as well.

Liquids

Again, no big surprises. We use a dry red wine to deglaze the pan and then add dark chicken stock with a little Worcestershire sauce as the main liquid. A great substitution for the would be a malty beer. You could go with a light-bodied lager or throw in some Guinness – cook’s choice!

Potatoes

If you’re like us, you love any reason to make mashed potatoes! In this case, russets are preferable because they’ll give you that smooth, creamy texture. We also use a garlic and herb infused cream mixture (more on that next), egg yolks to enhance the texture and flavor, and some cheddar or parmesan cheese on top for an extra crisp. To change it up though, you can also use a sweet potato mash or slices of root vegetables.

Herbs

Ample amounts of rosemary and thyme, and a bay leaf take this hearty dish on a much more complex journey. It will let your nose and taste buds know that it was meant for fall and winter. The rosemary and thyme are used in both the stew and the mashed potatoes to let them shine in different ways.

Procedure

First, start by tossing the lamb with flour in a mixing bowl and seasoning it with salt and pepper. This will give it a nice texture and help to thicken the sauce to come.

Next, brown the lamb in a little canola or olive oil, ideally in the vessel you’re going to bake the dish in. When you think of stew, you might think of a large Dutch oven, but this is a different kind of dish. You’ll have better luck here with a large skillet; we typically use our 12″ cast iron. Once it’s properly browned, transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Now to sauté your aromatics. Turn the heat down a little, toss in your mirepoix, and season with a little salt. Cook while stirring occasionally until they’re translucent. Then add the garlic and tomato paste separately, stirring during each addition to prevent burning. The idea here is to give each a minute to develop its flavor.

It’s time for the liquids! First, deglaze your pan with wine, beer, or whatever you’re using and reduce some. Then bring the lamb back to the pan and add the stock and Worcestershire sauce. From here, add your herbs and bring it all to a boil, reduce to simmer, and let it cook. After it’s finished, take it off the heat and add the peas and corn.

While the lamb mixture cooks, it’s all about the mashed potatoes. Cover the cubed potatoes with cold water in a pot and bring to boil. While they cook, bring together half and half, rosemary, thyme, and crushed garlic in a small saucepan and cook on low to infuse their flavors.

Once the potatoes are tender, drain them into a large bowl, add the butter, and slowly strain the cream mixture and stir. You’re looking for a smooth, creamy texture. Then season with salt and pepper, and stir in the egg yolk.

Now you’ll want to put your stew in its baking dish if it’s not already and spread the mashed potatoes over top with a rubber spatula. Make sure to create a seal around the edges to keep the liquid underneath. Then, just top with shredded cheese and bake until the top starts to turn golden brown! Make sure you let it cool for 10 minutes before serving.