Here’s Kurt Winner’s take on the old classic Sheperd’s pie, just in time for Saint Patricks Day.
By Kurt Winner
Sheperd’s Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
I’ve never made or even tried Sheperd’s pie, so as it goes my better half insisted that I make it in celebration of this holiday. Here’s my take on an old classic. And it is delicious !
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lb (450 g) extra lean ground beef
- 1 large onion diced
- 3 -4 large carrots diced
- 4 ribs celery diced
- 1/2 bunch parsley finely chopped
- 1 cup (240 ml) frozen peas
- 3 -4 sprigs thyme finely chopped or 1 tsp dried
- 2 tbsp flour or more as needed
- 1 tbsp (15 g) unsalted butter
- 1 glass red wine, Cabernet, Merlot or Pinot Noir, never use cooking wine,
- as this has a lot of salt in it and you can't control the amount here.
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Worcestershire sauce, be sure to shake the bottle well to get all of the settled flavors
- 1 cup (240 ml) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp beef base
- 1 tsp Kitchen Bouqe1 tbsp catsup
- Johnny's seasoned salt or Lawrys brand (for when you adjust the seasonings)
- 1 tbsp chicken base, mixed with the riced/mashed potatoes
- 6 large potatoes peeled and boiled put through a ricer
- 1 egg beaten
- grated sharp cheddar as a topping (optional)
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425f.
- Peel and boil the potatoes until soft. Add and blend in the chicken base here and put the potatoes through a ricer, or mash as you normally do, set aside.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil until just smoking, add the carrots,onion and celery followed by the butter. Saute over high heat, if anything starts to stick to the pan, deglaze with some of the wine, stirring up all of the browned bits.
- Lower the heat and add the ground beef the tomato paste, cook on medium high heat until the beef is browned.
- Add the flour and stir to incorporate, add the stock and all remaining ingredients, cook this and reduce until you have a nice thick gravy.
- Ladle the mix into an oven proof casserole, spoon or pipe the mashed potatoes over the mix, brush with the egg wash. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the top is slightly browned, you may broil to finish the browning process. Happy St. Patrick’s day!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 550
If You Liked This Recipe, You’ll Love These
- Saint Patrick’s Day – Irish Soda Bread
- St. Patrick’s Day-Inspired Recipes to Make us Wish it Came More than Once a Year
- Saint Patrick’s Day – Irish Coffee
- Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the recipe call for both chicken base and beef base?
The recipe adds 1 tbsp beef base to the gravy filling and 1 tbsp chicken base to the riced mashed potatoes. This layering of savory depth in each component — beefy richness in the filling and extra savoriness in the topping — builds more complex flavor throughout the dish.
Why does the recipe warn against using cooking wine?
The recipe specifically calls for a glass of real red wine (Cabernet, Merlot, or Pinot Noir) and notes to never use cooking wine because it contains a lot of added salt — you can’t control the salt level in a dish with this many other salty components like Worcestershire sauce, beef base, and seasoned salt. 
Why is an egg brushed over the mashed potato topping before baking?
Brushing the piped mashed potato top with beaten egg wash before the 30-minute bake at 425°F promotes browning. The recipe notes you may also broil to finish the browning process for a golden, slightly crisp crust on the potato topping.
