Yes, shepherd's pie is predominantly thought of as Irish or British. But since I'm Scottish, I thought I'd give it a unique twist to suit my ancestral tastes. The use of lamb, the smoky, heather taste of Guinness® Draught (Irish, I admit), and the topping of sharp Cheddar and smoked paprika give this version its unique, smoky-sweet flavor.
Ingredients
- mashed, boiled potatoes: 5 cups
- sour cream: 0.5 cup
- ounces cream cheese: 2 piece
- butter: 2 Tbsp (softened, divided)
- egg yolk: 1 piece
- kosher salt: 0.5 tsp
- black pepper: 0.5 tsp (freshly ground)
- ½ teaspoons olive oil: 1 piece
- ground lamb: 1 pound
- pinch salt and ground black pepper: 1 piece (to taste)
- stewed tomatoes with juice: 1 can (16 ounce can, chopped)
- onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- carrot: 1 piece (chopped)
- peas: 0.5 cup
- Irish stout beer (such as Guinness®): 1 cup
- cube beef bouillon: 1 piece
- all-purpose flour: 1 Tbsp
- Worcestershire sauce: 1 Tbsp
- sharp Cheddar cheese: 0.75 cup (shredded)
- fresh parsley: 2 tsp (chopped)
- smoked paprika: 2 tsp
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Stir potatoes, sour cream, cream cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, egg yolk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper together in a bowl until smooth.
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Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add ground lamb, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until browned and crumbly, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour off excess grease and season lamb with salt and black pepper to taste.
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Stir tomatoes with juice, onion, and carrot into ground lamb; simmer until vegetables are tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add peas, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently, until peas are warmed, 2 to 3 minutes.
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Heat beer in a saucepan over medium heat; add beef bouillon. Cook and stir beer mixture until bouillon is dissolved, about 5 minutes.
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Heat remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a separate pan over medium-low heat until sizzling. Whisk flour into butter until thick and paste-like, about 1 minute. Stir beer mixture and Worcestershire sauce into flour mixture until gravy is smooth and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir gravy into lamb mixture and simmer until mixture is thickened, at least 5 minutes.
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Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Grease a 9x12-inch baking dish.
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Pour lamb mixture into the prepared baking dish. Carefully spoon mashed potatoes over lamb mixture, covering like a crust. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese, parsley, and paprika over mashed potatoes.
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Broil in the preheated oven until crust is browned and cheese is melted, 4 to 5 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes before serving. Unknown
