Ultimate Shepherd’s Pie with Guinness Gravy
Many, many shepherds pies later, and I’ve found a recipe to make which can be eaten every day and can be brought out when I want something special.
The filling is deep and rich with hints of thyme mingling with the tender meat and vegetables, and then the topping, well, that’s another treat all together..
A mustardy mash mixture soaks up a layer of Guinness gravy, adding another dimension of flavour to the pie.
Go on, give it a go and enjoy your sweet life.
Bubbly and ready to eat
What You Need
Filling
1kg Minced Lamb – See Tip Box
700ml Chicken Stock - Made with 2 chicken stock cubes
300ml Guinness
5tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
4tbsp Plain Flour
3tbsp Dried Thyme
3tbsp Tomato Puree
3tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Large Carrots
1 Large Onion
2tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 Large Red Pepper - Deseeded & chopped into small pieces
1 Bay Leaf
Lots of parsley in the mash
Topping
1 kg Potatoes
½ kg Sweet Potatoes – See Tip Box
100ml Milk
50g Butter
3tsp Mustard Powder – See Tip Box
1tbsp Dried Parsley
Salt a& Pepper
Butter, milk and mustard powder together gets added to the mash.
How It’s Done
Cut the top and the bottom off the carrots and leaving the skin on, scrub them clean under running water.
Dry the carrots with a paper towel, and chop them up into small pieces and set them aside until needed– See Tip Box
Peel the onion and chop it into small pieces and set them aside until needed– See Tip Box
Chop the red pepper in half, remove the green stem and the seeds, and then chop it into small pieces.
Pour the oil into a large frying pan and add the minced lamb and on a medium heat let it cook, until all the pink has gone from the meat – making sure to move the meat around so it browns evenly.
Tip the chopped onion, red pepper and carrot into the pan along with the meat and let it cook, on a low heat, for 10 minutes, making sure to move it around in the pan so nothing burns.
Sprinkle the flour into the pan and mix it all around, making sure to coat all of the vegetables and meat.
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, tomato puree and the bay leaf, give it a good mix.
On a low heat, slowly pour in the Guinness and the chicken stock.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and continue to simmer on very low for 30 minutes until the meat is tender, and the sauce is reduced - Giving it a stir every few minutes making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan.– See Tip Box
Take out the bay leaf.
Leave the mince cool to room temperature before assembling the shepherds pie.
Once the mince is completely cold it can be frozen– See Tip Box
Spoon the filling into the dish
Topping
Peel the potatoes and the sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces roughly the same size – See Tip Box
Place all the potatoes into a large pot and fill it up with boiling water (so that the water covers the potatoes) and add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water.
Let the potatoes boil until all of the potatoes are soft enough to push a fork through.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain away the water into a colander. Shake really well and once the water is drained, return the potatoes to the hot dry pan to steam dry – See Tip Box
Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until all the lumps are gone.
Place the milk, mustard powder and butter into a saucepan and bring it to a boil until the butter has melted.
Give it a stir and gently pour it into the mashed potatoes.
Use a wooden spoon to beat the potatoes, making them as smooth as possible.
Add the dried parsley to the hot potatoes and once again, use a wooden spoon to beat the potatoes until everything is mixed in
Add salt and pepper to taste – See Tip Box
Set aside until needed.
Use a fork to smooth the top pf the mash.
Assembly
Find an oven proof dish and put the cold mince in to it – See Tip Box
Make it smooth.
Spoon the potato topping over the top of the mince.
Once all of the potatoes are level, use the back of a fork to make a pattern over the potatoes.
This is a good time to freeze – See Tip Box
Cooking
Heat the oven to 180c.
Place the shepherds pie on to an oven tray and put it into the oven - See Tip Box
Let it cook until the top is golden, it’s bubbling around the edges and it’s piping hot in the middle – 40 minutes to 1 hour – See Tip Box
Let the pie sit out of the oven for 10 minutes before eating.
The mash turns slightly crispy during cooking
Tip Box
Mince – Lamb mince is traditionally used for shepherd’s pie, but if you want to change it up a little, use half lamb mince and half pork mince.
Sweet Potato – If sweet potato isn’t for you, replace it with regular potatoes.
Mustard Powder – Don’t be put off if there isn’t mustard powder in your pantry, use the mustard you have. I like to use Dijon mustard in my cooking. If using mustard from a jar, taste as you go just to make sure it’s not too overpowering.
Chopping the vegetables – Trying to chop the vegetables around the same size, helps them cook at around the same time.
Freeze the mince – When the mince is completely cold, it can be frozen for up to three months.
Chop the potatoes – Cutting the potatoes into roughly the same size helps them cook at roughly the same time.
Steam Dry – Returning the cooked potatoes to the dry hot pan helps them to dry even more which in turn helps them make a drier mash.
To Taste – When adding salt and pepper, taste it and if it needs more, then add as much as suits your taste.
Dish - This recipe will make one large shepherds pie or smaller individual pies.
Freeze the pie – Once the potatoes are on the top of the pie, let it cool completely and then wrap in a layer of cling film and then a layer of foil before freezing for up to three months.
When ready to eat, defrost completely before cooking.
On a Tray - Putting the dish on the tray to cook will make it easier to clean up because the pie will almost certainly spill over.
Oven – All ovens are different so adjust the cooking time accordingly. The cooking time will also have to be changed depending on the size of the pie.
Start to spoon it out
