Shepherd's Pie

 Shepherd's Pie

 6 Servings | 15-minute Prep Time | 1-hour Cook Time

Ingredients

For Filling:

 ½ Large Yellow Onion, peeled and diced

1 lb. Ground Lamb

1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme Leaves

2 tsp. Dried Rosemary 

2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon 

3-4 Fresh Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced

1 Tbsp. White Wine Vinegar

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce 

1 ½ Tbsp. All Purpose Flour 

1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 c. Beef Stock

2 Fresh Shallots, peeled and diced

1 c. Fresh Carrots, peeled and diced

1 c. Fresh Parsnip, peeled and diced

1 c. Green Peas

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

For Mashed Potato Topping: 

3 Large Russet Potatoes, peeled and cubed

8 Tbsp. Butter

½ c. Heavy Cream

Salt

Pepper

Instructions

For the Filling: 

Preheat oven to 400°F. 

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with olive oil. 

Add the onion to the pan and let cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. 

Add the ground lamb to the pan and use a spatula to break it up into smaller pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to brown completely, about 7 minutes. 

Season the meat with the thyme, rosemary, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. 

Add the garlic and white wine vinegar to the pan. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan, and cook until garlic becomes fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add the Worcestershire sauce, all purpose flour, and tomato paste to the pan. Stir until well combined and there aren’t any bits of flour left floating around. 

Add the beef stock, shallots, carrots, parsnips, and the green peas to the pan. Season with more salt and pepper. Stir to combine. 

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and allow to simmer for 5-7 more minutes. 

For the Potato Topping: 

Add potatoes to a pot large enough to contain them, then fill with cold water until they are covered. Heavily salt the water.

Bring the potatoes to a boil then cover and let continue cooking for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. 

Remove potatoes from the heat and drain the water. 

Return the potatoes to the warm stove burner to keep them hot, and add the butter, heavy cream, salt, and pepper, then mash with potato masher to combine. 

To Assemble: 

Spoon the meat filling into an even layer in a 9x13” baking pan. 

Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat layer and smooth with the back of spoon until evenly distributed. 

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top of the potatoes are browned.