Shepherd's Pie for St. Paddy's Day

I don’t know about you, but I am way too old and way over going out bar hopping for St. Patrick’s Day - a tradition that is very prevalent in Chicago. If you are like me, then you would probably prefer a nice cozy night in making a wonderful meal and enjoying a chill atmosphere with or without drinks. Or, maybe you still do want to go out and enjoy the holiday but don’t want to be surrounded by inebriated loud adults. Either way, The Chopping Block has you covered! We have an awesome menu lined up for our hands-on St. Paddy’s Day class.

There will be an apple and kale salad, Irish soda bread, Shepherd’s Pie and Irish whiskey chocolate mousse. What’s great is this class runs in the afternoon from 11am-1:30pm on Friday, March 14 at Lincoln Square. So, you get to eat a fabulous meal that you learn how to make yourself, you still get to enjoy wine or beer if you want during the class, and you can either go bar hop from there (Lincoln Square has a great selection of bars to choose from) or go home and relax!

It’s the perfect scenario. If you have never been to one of our classes, the atmosphere is super enjoyable. The chefs are always fun, engaging and helpful. The folks that take our classes always end up making friends with their tablemates because what brings people together more than food and drinks?

Even if you prefer to stay home this St. Patrick’s Day, I will let you in on a few tips and tricks when it comes to making Shepherd’s Pie so you too can celebrate. I will break down the components and teach you all the ways to customize this modest but delicious recipe. These are the kinds of dishes I love because historically it was a way to use leftover meat and vegetables and to save money. It was a way to make food last longer, which is even more applicable in today’s world. But there are still ways to elevate this humble dish, and the same rules still apply: use what you’ve got.

This Shepherd's Pie recipe that I made for dinner at home is slightly different than the recipe taught in class. There are always a million different ways to approach a recipe, and I love saying that there is not necessarily a right or wrong way to do things, just different. You can look up Shepherd's Pie recipes all on the internet and they will all be different in some way. If the ground meat is lamb, then it is a more traditional pie. If the meat is beef, then it’s technically supposed to be called a cottage pie. Some people use mirepoix, others choose frozen veggies, and some people don’t include vegetables! I have seen russets used for the mashed potato topping or Yukon golds. Dried herbs vs fresh herbs doesn’t matter. The possibilities are endless!

Shepherd's Pie with Lamb, Vegetables and Mashed Potatoes

Yield: 6 servings

Active time: 45 minutes

Start to finish: 1 hour

For the topping:

2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice

Pinch of salt

4 tablespoons butter

1/2 to 1 cup cream

1/2 cup Parmesan, grated

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional 2 egg yolks

For the filling:

1 tablespoon high-heat, neutral oil

1 pound ground lamb

1/2 onion, small dice

2 carrots, peeled and cut into small dice

2 celery, cut into a small dice

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon chili flakes

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup red wine

1 cup beef stock

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/ 2 cup frozen corn

1/2 cup frozen peas

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F.

2. Place the potatoes and salt in a saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are knife tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Heat a wide, heavy pan over medium heat and add the oil. Sauté the ground lamb, breaking it up with a spoon, until cooked through.

4. Add the onions, carrots, celery and gently sauté until they are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chili flakes and tomato paste, and cook an additional minute.

5. Sprinkle the mixture with the flour and stir until well coated.

6. Deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce until almost dry

7. Pour in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the sauce has thickened, 10 minutes.

8. Stir in the corn and peas, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

9. Once the potatoes are tender, drain well. (Use a ricer to get really smooth potatoes if you have one. Otherwise, any masher will do.)

10. Add the butter and 1/2 cup of cream to the empty pot, then add the potatoes, mash until it is incorporated. Add more cream 1/3 cup at a time and keep mashing, adding more cream as needed, until you have a silky and smooth consistency.

11. Stir in the egg yolk and cheese if using. Season the puree with salt and pepper to taste.

12. Dot the potatoes over the filling and then spread them to the edges of the pan to cover the filling evenly.

13. Set the dish on a parchment-lined sheet tray, and bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

There it is… a straightforward Shepherd's Pie recipe. But what if you don’t have or like certain ingredients? It’s okay! The filling can be any ground meat of your choice. I wanted to use as many veggies as possible, but you can sauté anything with the ground meat besides mirepoix. Fennel, bell peppers, and mushrooms are all great options.

I actually didn’t have tomato paste, so I used an open jar of tomato sauce. The tomato brings in a sweet umami flavor and really gives the filling a nice color but if you didn’t have any, it would not make or break the filling. The same could be said about the wine. In most recipes for Shepherd's Pie you will not see this ingredient but with all of the fond building up on my pan it made sense to me to deglaze and bring in more complexity to the dish. But once again, it is not necessary but just another added enhancement.

Any kind of stock or liquid can be used depending on what meat you choose. I like the richness the beef stock brings to the dish. Worcestershire sauce packs an umami punch but soy, liquid aminos, even a dash of fish sauce could help round out the final product.

I didn’t have any fresh herbs on hand, so I used dried herbs de Provence that has been sitting in the cupboard for a while but rosemary, thyme, parsley are all excellent additions. I would have liked to add frozen green beans, but sadly I was out. The untraditional corn with the usual peas made for a nice combo and brought a little more color to the filling.

The techniques of this dish are browning meat, sauteing veggies, deglazing and simmering in the liquid. Some recipes don’t even call for flour, but I like the thickness it adds.

For the mashed potatoes, my secret ingredient is the egg yolk. This is extremely nontraditional and not necessary, but I love the richness it brings and ultimately contributes to the golden brown and crunchy texture I love so much. You can also use your choice of dairy milk, half and half, or heavy cream - all will work well for a smooth mashed potato. I prefer using russets for this application because I love their fluffy texture but usually when I am making mashed potatoes as a side dish, I will use a waxy potato like a Yukon for a silkier texture. I folded grated Parmesan into the mashed potato and sprinkled some on top before baking. You can easily omit this or use any kind of melty cheese, like cheddar or Pepperjack.

The fun part is the presentation of the completed pie. I transferred my filling into Le Creuset cocottes to bake and serve. I even ended up being able to fill a cast iron pan with the remainder. This filling can also be made and assembled all in the same pan for ease of clean up! Even if you didn’t want to bake this, as long as there wasn’t any egg in the potatoes, you could just spoon the filling over the mashed potatoes and call it a “deconstructed Shepherd's Pie”!

Hopefully this has inspired you to try your hand at making your own Shepherd's Pie at home, or maybe I’ll see you in our St. Paddy’s Day class. Either way you will be in for a treat! I would love to hear about your customizations, so be sure to comment below.