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HAM COOKING

Shepherd's Pie

Savory ground lamb (or beef) and vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes and baked until the ridges turn golden and crisp.

AI illustration of Shepherd's Pie
AI-generated recipe illustration, not a photograph of a cooked batch.

Ingredients

Ingredients for 6 servings

Original recipe serves 6. Ingredient amounts adjust automatically. Cooking times and pan size may need adjusting separately.

Potato topping

  • 2 1/2 lb russet potatoes, peeled, cut in chunks
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup milk, warm
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

Filling

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 lb ground lamb or ground beef
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper

Gear

  • Oven-safe 10- or 12-inch skillet or 9x13 dish
  • Large pot
  • Potato masher

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Steps

  1. Step 1: Heat the oven to 400°F. Boil the potatoes in salted water 15 to 18 minutes until very tender. Drain and steam dry in the pot 1 minute.

  2. Step 2: Mash with the butter, warm milk and salt. Let cool a few minutes, then stir in the egg yolk and half the cheese.

  3. Step 3: FILLING: Heat the oil in a 10- or 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium-high. Brown the meat 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up. Spoon off extra fat.

  4. Step 4: Add the onion and carrots and cook 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle in the flour and stir 1 minute.

  5. Step 5: Stir in the broth, Worcestershire, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper. Simmer 5 to 8 minutes until thick. Stir in the peas.

  6. Step 6: Spoon the potatoes over the filling, starting at the edges to seal it in. Rough up the top with a fork to make ridges. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

  7. Step 7: Set the skillet on a sheet pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbling at the edges. Broil 2 to 3 minutes until the top is golden brown.

  8. Step 8: Rest 10 minutes before serving.

All recipes

Swaps

  • Meat: Lamb makes it a true shepherd’s pie. With beef, it’s technically a cottage pie. Both are great. (The protein tag is beef since beef is what most folks will use.)
  • Veg: Add corn or green beans with the peas.
  • Shortcut: Use 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes.

Tips

  • Starting the potatoes at the edge seals the filling in so it doesn’t bubble over the sides.
  • The fork ridges become crispy, browned peaks under the broiler. That’s the best part.

The story

HAM Cooking. Let’s fire it up.

Quick vocabulary lesson so nobody at the dinner table corrects you. Shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, since shepherds herd sheep. Make it with beef and it’s called cottage pie. Call it whatever you want; it’s a meat-and-potatoes hug in a skillet.

The filling needs to be thick and saucy, not soupy. Flour and tomato paste cooked into the meat help the broth thicken into a gravy that holds together when you scoop it. The egg yolk in the potatoes is a little upgrade that helps the top puff and brown like a crust.

Here’s the fun part: drag a fork across the potatoes to make ridges before it goes in the oven. All those little peaks crisp up and turn golden while the valleys stay creamy. Texture is a flavor, and this dish has plenty.

HAM out.

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