Shepherd's pie is my comfort food. The red wine, thyme, and rosemary makes the stuffing taste so rich which goes perfectly with these buttery mashed potatoes. It's my go-to recipe for cold & rainy weather!
Ingredients
Filling
3 tbsp olive oil
6 strips of bacon, sliced
2 lbs /1kg ground beef (see Note 1)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 carrots, finely chopped
6-8 mushrooms, chopped
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef broth
1 ½ tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried rosemary)
1 ½ tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped (or 2 tsp dried thyme)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Mashed potatoes
3 lbs/1.4 kg golden potatoes, chopped
1 cup of milk
½ cup unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
Directions
Directions for stuffing
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook bacon, stirring, until brown and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Then transfer to a plate.
Increase heat to medium-high and cook half of ground beef in same pan undisturbed until well browned underneath, about 4 minutes. Break up beef using 2 spoons, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally and breaking the beef into small pieces, until nearly cooked through but with some pink still remaining.
Season with salt and transfer to plate with bacon.
Repeat with another 1 tbsp oil and remaining beef. (Avoid the temptation to cook all of the beef in one batch; you want it to brown not steam to add some flavor).
Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in same pan and add onions, garlic, carrot, and mushroom. Season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned and very soft, 12–15 minutes.
Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and flour and cook, stirring constantly, until paste darkens, about 1 minute. Add wine, bring to a simmer and cook about 5 minutes. Add broth, rosemary, and thyme; return meat to pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is almost all evaporated and the sauce is the consistency of gravy, about 15–20 minutes.
Transfer filling to a large baking tray.
Directions for potatoes
Preheat oven to 190C/375F
Chop 3lbs of golden potatoes and boil for 25-30 minutes or until tender with a pieced fork. Let cool slightly
Bring milk and butter to simmer over medium heat
Mash potatoes, mix in warm butter and milk mixture, then whisk in egg yolks and mix the potatoes until everything is well combined, season with salt and pepper to taste
Carefully top filling with half of mashed potatoes, use a spatula to smooth it out over the filling so that no meat is stick out through the potatoes. Add the rest of the potatoes, swirling the potatoes into a fun pattern/design.
Bake Shepard’s pie until filling is bubbling around the edges and the top is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.
--Notes--
Note 1: You can also use ground lamb for this recipe
Adapted from: Shepard’s Pie by Chris Morocco https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/shepherds-pie
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