How to make the perfect shepherd's pie and the common mistakes to avoid

Make it with beef, lamb or lentils - just don't forget to put cheese in the mashed potato

Comfort on a cold day: shepherd's pie is the perfect winter warmer.

A pie of leftovers

Shepherd's pie and its close cousins, cottage and shepherdless pies have their origins in leftovers. Created as a way to repurpose leftovers from the Sunday roast, this comforting dinner was really just another way of layering up meat, gravy and potatoes. The key components to a good shepherd's pie are flavoursome gravy and fluffy mashed potatoes - the rest is up to interpretation. 

Beef or lamb?

A traditional shepherd's pie is - as the name would suggest - made from lamb, but if you grew up in Ireland you may have eaten shepherd's pie made exclusively from beef mince. 

In a time where so many of us are turning to plant-based eating, it's worth including lentils in the mix here too. A tin of pre-cooked puy lentils is a route to a speedy shepherdless pie - particularly when paired with a spoon of mushroom ketchup for umami flavour. 

What about the spuds?

Neven Maguire, Darina Allen and even Nigel Slater all agree that this pie must have Cheddar cheese sprinkled on top of the mash before baking. Darina goes one step further and dots her spuds with garlic butter - once you try this you will do it every time, I guarantee it. 

While a topping of cheese is advised, stirring some grated Parmesan or Cheddar through the mash too is also delicious. Season your spuds well, and go easy on your milk when making the mash - you want your potatoes fluffy rather than soggy. 

Are herbs essential? 

For me, thyme is a non-negotiable in a shepherd's pie. I add full sprigs of the herb while cooking onions down to a jammy, almost caramelised brown and remove when assembling the pie for the oven. 

Worcestershire sauce is a welcome addition too, bringing a rounded, rich flavour to the sauce. A no-go for vegetarians or vegans, in the instance of a plant-based version I would add a splash of soy or tamari. 

Take your time

Cook your pie filling low and slow - you want the gravy thickened slightly and the meat to have broken down thanks to a long slow cook. If you need to make a superquick version, then the best way is to opt for a vegetarian or vegan version. 

Peas and carrots

For some of us, a shepherd's pie is not complete without the addition of peas and carrots. Add the carrots when cooking your onion at the very beginning of the process and stir in the peas just before you pop it in the oven. This will result in perfectly cooked vegetables and avoid grey peas navigating their way around your plate. 

Ballymaloe shepherd’s pie

recipe by:Darina Allen

This classic family supper is simple yet richly flavoured with herbs - a hearty, comforting favourite

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 25g butter

• 110g onion, chopped

• 25g flour

• 450ml stock and leftover gravy

• 1 tsp tomato purée

• 1 tbsp mushroom ketchup (optional)

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

• 1 tsp thyme leaves, chopped

• salt

• pepper

• 450g minced cooked lamb

• 900g cooked mashed potatoes

• 50g Cheddar, grated

• Garlic butter (optional)

Method

1. Melt the butter, add the onion, cover with a round of greased paper and cook over a slow heat for 5 minutes. Add the flour and cook until brown.

2. Add the stock, bring to the boil.  Add the tomato purée, mushroom ketchup, chopped parsley, thyme leaves, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Add the meat to the sauce, bring to the boil. Taste and correct seasoning.

4. Put in a pie dish, cover with the mashed potatoes, and score with a fork.  Sprinkle over the cheese and dot with garlic butter.

5. Reheat in a moderate oven at 180ºC for about 30 minutes until hot and bubbling. Garnish with parsley and serve with extra garlic butter melting into the potatoes.