This Shepherd’s Pie is Lambtastic

So, it kinda goes without saying that the last month or so has been tough. Here in Ottawa, we faced a re-lockdown of sorts. Restaurants were closed again for indoor dining, leaving only patio and take out as options. Luckily, the notoriously cold Ottawa fall weather held off. But things seem a little grim these days. It’s getting colder. The nights are getting longer. The COVID numbers are rising again. It’s stressful.

What do I do when I feel this way? Faithful readers, you already know, don’t you? Comfort food.

What could be better when the mercury starts to dip than a big, beautiful shepherd’s pie? And I mean a real one. Full of all the Irish staples: lamb, potato, stout beer and Irish cheddar.

This may be, no scratch that, it WILL be the best shepherd’s pie you’ve ever had. That may not be a tall hill to climb, as most of the shepherd’s pies I’ve eaten in the past have been pretty disappointing. Often beef is subbed in for lamb. Now, I don’t care that technically when you use beef, it’s a cottage pie. What I care about is missing the wonderful, irreplaceable flavour of lamb. I understand that lamb is polarizing. You either love it or hate it. But I love it.

Secondly, a lot of the time you get some dry, crumbly ground meat and cubed veg, with a huge slab of mashed potato on top. Two separate things stacked, not a cohesive dish. By making a proper stew out of the ground lamb, you get something that’s guaranteed not to be dry, a chance to add even more flavour and as a bonus, something that will combine fully with the mash.

On the subject of the potatoes, they should be at most 50/50 with the stew. You may even go 25% potato layer to 75% stew layer. You get a more flavourful, balanced and less heavy dish this way. Especially when you see what we’re doing to the mash.

One last thing before we get to the recipe. Please, please leave this to rest for 15-20 minutes when it comes out of the oven. Everything comes together so nicely. If you’re like me, you’ll hover over the pie, vintage Pikachu spatula in hand, waiting to cut into it. But resist. You’ll be rewarded.

Of all the dishes I’ve done for the blog recently, this is the one that really, truly impressed. I can’t wait for you to try it, so here goes!

Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

• 2lbs. ground lamb
• 3-4 yellow onions, peeled and diced
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 5-6 sprigs rosemary, leaves only, roughly chopped
• 6-7 sprigs thyme, leaves only, roughly chopped
• 5 bay leaves, fresh if possible
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1.5 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1-2 cloves
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 120g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
• 236mL (1 cup) beef stock
• 440mL (1 can) Guinness beer
• 2-3 large carrots, peeled and small diced
• 290g (2 cups) frozen peas
• 7-8 large Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, roughly diced and reserved in cold water
• 198g (7oz.) Irish cheddar, grated (I used Kerrygold Dubliner)
• 56g (4 tbsp) butter
• 75mL (3/4 cup) 2% milk

Method:

1. In a large, wide pot or Dutch oven, heat a film of canola oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the ground lamb, breaking up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Season with a heavy pinch of salt and let brown for 5-6 minutes before stirring. Scrape the bottom of the pot if necessary.
2. Once all the meat has coloured, add the onions and reduce the heat to medium. Sweat the onions until translucent, about 8-10 minutes more.
3. Add the rosemary, thyme, two of the bay leaves, allspice, nutmeg, celery salt and cayenne. Stir to combine. Allow the spices to cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stirring to combine and cook for 4-5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and cook until the raw flour smell is gone, 3-4 minutes more.
5. Gradually stir in the beef stock and beer. Bring to a simmer and allow the stew to thicken. If it looks too thick, you can thin it out with additional stock or water, but it should be a rather sturdy stew. Let simmer for 30 minutes, adding the carrots after 15. Remove from the heat, stir in the peas and leave on the back of the stove. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. Place the potatoes in a deep pot with a large pinch of salt, the remaining bay leaves and cover with cold water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and let cook for 15-20 minutes, until completely tender. Drain, place the pot back over low heat and return the potatoes to it. Let them steam and dry for 2-3 minutes.
7. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes. Mash in the shredded cheese and butter, then stir in the milk. Taste for seasoning and adjust consistency. Again, the mash shouldn’t be too loose, just barely spreadable.
8. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a rack in the middle. In a large casserole or baking dish, spread the lamb stew over the bottom. Spread or pipe the potatoes over top, trying to even out the layer without smushing them into the stew. Use a fork to scrape a pattern into the potatoes, if you wish. This creates crags and valleys to crisp in the oven.
9. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30 -40 minutes, until the stew just barely starts to bubble through the potato layer. If you wish to blast the pie under a hot broiler to really crisp the top, do that now. I didn’t, but I kinda wish I did.
10. Let the pie rest for at least 15-20 minutes before cutting into it.

This shepherd’s pie is a revelation. You’ll wonder if all the other pies you’ve eaten over the course of your life were even real. It’s that good. Plus, it feeds an army. Always a bonus around here to have leftovers, I can tell you. What’s your take on shepherd’s pie? Is this one your cup of lamb? Shoot me an email or leave a comment down below to let me know!