Like a lot of people in this country, we don't eat much lamb and I have to confess that I had never made Shepherd's Pie until this week. Actually, I don't think I'd ever even eaten it. All I can say is...boy howdy, was THAT a mistake! I'm really, really looking forward to the leftovers for tonight's supper!
Jerry is so funny, when he looked at what I was making and I told him it was Shepherd's Pie, he said "Why can't we just have that with the mashed potatoes?" He was afraid it was going to be like a pot pie with a pie crust and he is NOT a fan of pot pie. Just so you know, he went back for seconds. ;)
One of the vendors at the Farmer's Market sells his homegrown lamb and beef. He has been out of hamburger so I bought some ground lamb from him last week. Since I had lamb, Shepherd's Pie just seemed like the right thing to make. There are hundreds of recipes out there for Shepherd's Pie but it is basically a ground meat and vegetable mixture topped with a "crust" of mashed potatoes which is then browned in the oven. Here is what I did.
Shepherd's Pie **Click here to print this recipe**
4 large red-skinned potatoes
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
Milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
6 or 7 Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
1/2 pound ground lamb
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Mediterranean Seasoning (recipe here)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Dice the potatoes and cook in salted, boiling water until tender (I didn't even bother to peel them). Drain well. Add the butter and mash them up a bit. Add enough milk to get a mashed potato consistency. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
While the potatoes are cooking, in a large cast iron skillet, saute the onion, carrot and mushrooms in the olive oil until softened and lightly browned. Add the ground lamb and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Season with salt, pepper and Mediterranean Seasoning. Add the flour and stir to combine, let it cook for a minute or so. Stir in the beef stock to make a gravy. Add more stock if necessary to get the consistency you like. Stir in the corn and peas.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat mixture, making sure to go all the way to the edges of the pan. Don't make it perfectly smooth on top, you want the potatoes to have some texture so they will brown. Sprinkle the cheese over the potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or so until the top is nicely browned.
Linking up with Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, What I Am Eating and Pie*ography Thursday.
i have eaten and made shepherd's pie w/ ground beef. have never liked mutton so don't know if i'd ever cook w/ ground lamb.
ReplyDeleteLamb is my favorite meat. Mutton is a whole different animal ;)
ReplyDeleteI have had local, grass fed lamb at a Basque place here, it's called a spicy lamb grinder, yum!
ReplyDeleteYou are starving me to death! This looks so delicious, and I know it is since you cooked it!
ReplyDeleteCandy,
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in H.S. Sister had a sheep that hurt it's back and never came out of it. Mom thought it would be fun to put him in our deep freezer. She has had home raised lamb in the freezer ever since.
Us girls LOVE lamb! Dad and The Rancher are not to crazy about it. Mom has read a lot about how to cook and season lamb and makes some really tasty dishes.
Your Sheppard’s Pie sounds delicious. Glad you had a good lamb eating experience.
We used to have this every time we had left over roast beef. Mom would dice it up medium chunky but everything else was basically the same. I think you can put just about any meat in it.
ReplyDeleteI've made something just like that but with beef. But pretty soon we'll be making "Goat herder's Pie". Got goats. Not so much sheep. Whatever works, right? :)
ReplyDeleteI grow up on shepherds pie. Sometimes we had mash potatoes top with cheese on it.Other times my mom would use biscuits. As for meat it was either ground beef or spam. With a family of 8 and the friends we brought home I don't think lamb was a option. I might have to give it a try for my family.( less mouths to feed LOL )
ReplyDeleteThat looks so GOOD! I love shepherd's pie!
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky to have home grown meat at your market. We can find lamb in the stores, but on organic. I can only find buffalo, and beef. The dinner looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteWow, you guys had never had shepherd's pie before?? We ate that far too often in the 70's (hamburger was cheap). Mom's was really dry and awful. I make it occasionally now, but I have a much nicer recipe than Mom's.
ReplyDeleteSounds wonderful I must admit I have never had it with lamb but will be trying that. B
ReplyDeleteoh man does that look good. thanks for stopping by!!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, we've grown up with shepherds pie and I love it when made well (you can ruin it). We even have a lunch gal downtown here that makes it and sells it.
ReplyDeleteI am so afraid to try lamb. The photo of your creation is wonderful. My Shepard's Pie never looks that good.
ReplyDeleteI love how everything is all in one dish! One pot meals are the best :)
ReplyDeleteWell, if I can figure out a vegetarian version, it looks good. I like that idea of the mashed potatoes as topping.
ReplyDeleteI have never made or eaten it but that looks so good I think I might have to give it a try. I am not a fan of lamb though so will probably use ground beef instead.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have had Shepherd's Pie with ground beef and with lamb, I must be honest in saying that I prefer it with lamb! I love lamb and find it much easier to digest than beef. Of course, though, I have arthritis and beef sometimes can cause an attack of gout, so I stick to chicken, lamb and pork...and rarely, beef. This looks so good! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
ReplyDeleteThat looks fabulous -- I've never eaten lamb, but I'd sure give it a try!
ReplyDeleteShepherd's Pie is one of our favorite dishes. Have used hamburger, lamb and veal or a combination of any of the three. It is my comfort food of choice. So glad you enjoyed the lamb.
ReplyDeleteLove shepards pie. never had it with lamb before, and my recipe it different then yours. Looks good though. My kiddos love it too.
ReplyDelete