Ahh, a classic winter dish. I normally brown off the potato coating under the grill for a couple of minutes for extra crisp.

Joe, I too love adding (either green peas or) corn to my Shepherd’s pie!

Ollie, I was kicking myself for filming this whole dish in the wrong dish! I would have loved to brown the top under the broiler but I could not do it with my Pyrex dish! Even though you see many top notch cooking sites putting a Pyrex dish under the broiler, it is really not recommended!

Yum!!

I make a version of this similar to the one described but add a half a cup of peas and a chopped onion to the mince, and to REALLY enhance the texture, also add 2 grated carrots to the mince.

Putting some grated cheese on top about ten minutes before the end of baking is also good.

Serve with salad!

It's a cold winter day outside here (Ireland) so I am actually going to cook this tonight...

Cheers!

Shepards pie is a favorite of mine. Actually I made it last night. But I'll let you guys in on a secret recipe... Add mushroom soup to the meat once it's cooked and it comes out sooooo flavorfull

Shepherds Pie should be made with lamb, not beef. This is a Cottage Pie!

I've had shepherd's pie with a sauce on top of it sort of creamy.  Do you know what that stuff is and how to make it?

Shepherds or Cottage Pie is always improved by a dash of Worcestershire sauce and grated cheese on top to brown off :)

Another great one Kathy!

I appreciate how you stripped this dish down to it's most essential elements to make it quick and easy.

I hope you bring some of this to Podcamp Boston next year!

You've got meat cooking there, so why use gravy from a jar? It'll take you like another 10 minutes to make real gravy, which is 20 times better.

I will mix Mozzeralla cheese with the potatoes while they are hot. I will also spread the cheese over the meat. Then add corn and put the potatoes on top. The cheese adds flavor and also helps to hold it together. Add as much cheese as you like. Works with any kind of cheese.

How do you cut a tablespoon of butter into really tiny bits?

I'm Your Manager B, that's a really interesting way of making tater tot casserole!

I make mine slightly different. I brown 2lbs ground beef and then dump it in a big bowl and fill it with frozen tater tots and two cans of cheese soup from campbells. I then mix it all together and toss it in a 13x9 Pyrex dish and cook it at 350 for an hour. Serve it up and eat with fresh diced onions and tomatoes on top. And of course cover it in Heinz :)

I remember my grandmother making this when I was 8, but somehow she baked a cornbread or biscuit-like bread beneath the bottom layer. I still can't figure out how she managed to do that.

Canned beef gravy? NO WAY. It's ketsup and worchestershire. You mix the two into the cooking beef. When fully cooked, drain the beef. This gives the pie a slightly sweet flavor.   It's wonderful.

I'd never used the canned stuff, but it's shepherds pie. It's a peasant meal. You're supposed to use what you have. And if all you have is canned gravy then that's what you use.

 YUM!

I love your podcast!  i've just started cooking and your podcast (from "how to boil an egg" to "cooking beef stews") provides me with a great deal of info and it simply helps!  Thanks, Kathy!

In many countries we do not have tinned gravy etc. therefore it would be appreciated if we could get receipes that we can prepare from scratch.

However thank you, I enjoyed reading about it.

rgds, Rina

Kathy, for all the times I've cooked at home (and there haven't been many!), you have been responsible for at least half, if not more. Thanks for that.

Thanks for the simple recipe idea! I really wanted to make shepherds pie for my family and couldn't remember the whole recipe - only some of the ingredients. You saved the day!

 Kathy, thank you again. Most of us appreciate the help.

If I make this the night before should I bake it then put it in the fridge or should I put it together and bake it the night we eat it?

First, thank you for this site.  I haven't cooked much in the past few years, and am really out of practice.  This is a great place to start.

Now, my son totally hates "real" mashed potates.  Can you use instant instead?

Lea, I make shepherd's pie with instant potatoes all the time!  I just add a little more seasoning to the meat.  It tastes great!!

Jaun, I am so sorry to hear of your troubles!  I hope your hand heals quickly.  Perhaps the next time you turn on the stove, your mom should be right there watching to make sure that never ever happens again.  All my good wishes to you for a speedy recovery.

Ollie that sounds wonderful!  For those of you who do not know what a leek is...click here!

Connie that sounds great but I would have to skip the green pepper and use a red pepper instead.  I find green pepper to be slightly bitter!

here's also a recipe i like. 

but would using leftover beef make the pie taste better?.  i dont want to end up wasting an entire pie if using leftovers would make the pie worse. yea know?

here's what the website states:
Cottage Pie and Shepherd's Pie are very similar. Shepherd's Pie is made from lamb whereas Cottage Pie uses beef. In this version of Cottage Pie we use fresh minced beef, however you can also use leftover Roast Beef.

• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 500 grams / 1 lb of beef mince
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce (ketchup)
• ½ to 1 tablespoon of Worcester sauce (Lee & Perins)
• ½ cup of peas
• ½ cup of corn kernels (optional)
• 1 bouquet garni or a small bunch of herbs chopped finely and one whole bay leaf
• ¾ to 1 cup of beef stock
• 3 to 4 large potatoes
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• salt and pepper

Peel and chop the onion and carrot finely. Heat the oil in a large frypan or saucepan, add the onion and cook until the onion is clear or translucent. Add the minced beef and sauté using a wooden spoon break up the mince so it is nice and fine. When the mince is thoroughly browned stir through the flour and cook for one minute. Add the tomato sauce, Worcester sauce, finely chopped carrot, peas, corn and herbs. Stir thoroughly to combine. Gradually add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and cover, simmering for 10 to 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be quite thick. Remove and discard the bouquet garni or whole bay leaf and set mixture aside.

Peel the potatoes, chop into quarters and place in a medium saucepan with cold water just covering the potatoes. Add a little salt to the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and place back on the heat for a few seconds to let any extra water evaporate. Mash the potatoes with one tablespoon of butter until the potato is very creamy - add a little milk if necessary. Add salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or gas mark 5. Spoon the mince mixture into a pie dish, then spoon or pipe the creamy mashed potato over the mince. Sprinkle grated cheese on top if desired and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potato is golden and the pie is heated through.

This is a great recipe I found sometime ago on http://www.simplycookware.com and it was delicious. I can't wait to try yours.

1 lb Lean Ground Beef

1/2 tsp Dried Basil

8 oz Hot Italian Sausages (cut lengthwise in half and a 1/4" thick)

1 tsp Salt

16 oz Whole Peeled Tomatoes

1/4 tsp Dried Oregano, Crumbled

1 1/2 c Sliced Fresh Mushrooms

Fresh Ground Pepper To Taste

1 Clove Garlic, Minced

2 lb Potatoes (peeled and cut into 1" pieces)

2 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

3/4 c Milk

1 c Frozen Peas

1/2 c Grated Parmesan Cheese

1 tbsp Chopped Fresh Basil Or

6 tbsp Butter, Room Temp.

Place ground Beef and sausages in a medium skillet. Cook, breaking

up Beef, over medium high heat until Meat loses some of its pink color

and releases juices. Add tomatoes, mushrooms, Garlic and vinegar.

Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes,

about 10 minutes. Stir in peas, basil, 1/2 tsp salt, oregano and pepper.

Simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, boil potatoes in water to cover until tender, about 20

minutes. Drain potatoes and transfer to large mixing bowl. Beat in

milk, Cheese, butter, remaining 1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste;

continue to beat until smooth. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon Meat

mixture into 2 quart casserole dish. Spoon potato mixture on top and

Spread evenly to edge. Bake until golden annd bubbling, about 45-50

minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve Hot. 436

calories per serving.

In many countries we do not have tinned gravy

Hi Felix,
It would be soooooo much easier if measuring was the same world wide!  Here is the metric conversion of this recipe:

• 900 g of potatoes
• 56 g of butter
• 1/3 cup of milk
• 3 g of salt
• 1 1/2 g of ground pepper
• 680 g of ground beef
• 1 jar of beef gravy (360 ml.)

400º F = 200º C = gas mark 6-moderately hot

Clive that is actually quite brilliant! 

Worcestershire Sauce is a common ingredient that is used to boost the flavor of everything it is used in.  One of the main ingredients in Worcestershire Sauce is...anchovies!

Recipes using Worcester Sauce include things like meatloaf, spare ribs, stews, soups, marinates, Bloody Mary drinks, etc.

You are right in that when added to recipes there is no fishy taste or smell.

Thanks Clive!

Thanks HM!
:-)

I'm with you Steve! 
(In fact my grocery store often does not even have ground lamb!)
Thanks!

OOPS---i meant googled as i'm sure you probably figured but i thought i'd clarify that anyhow. =)

I LOVED this recipe. I am very new to cooking.  when I first made this I wanted to add something to it.  My girlfriend is allergic to corn and doesn't really like veggies much.  so I put in a layer of pepperoni's on top  of the meat. it tasted great!!! I also added about 2/3 cup of milk. i like my taters creamy

Sean and Shantiqua,

I am thrilled you both have had such success with this recipe.  It is a great hearty meal - perfect for a cold winter's night!