Description
This classic Irish Shepherd’s Pie features a rich ground beef filling simmered with vegetables, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce, topped with a creamy colcannon potato crust made with leeks and cabbage. Baked to golden perfection, it’s a comforting and hearty dish perfect for a family meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Colcannon Potatoes
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 6 ounces Irish butter
- ¾ cup whole milk or heavy cream
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ head Savoy cabbage, shredded (about 3 cups)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Beef Filling
- 2 pounds 90 to 95% lean ground beef
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons flour
- ½ cup dry sherry or red wine
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup fresh or frozen peas
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Prepare Colcannon Potatoes: Start by making the colcannon potatoes. Boil the Yukon gold potatoes until tender, then mash them with Irish butter, whole milk or cream, sliced leeks, minced garlic, shredded Savoy cabbage, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to get ready for baking the assembled shepherd’s pie.
- Cook Ground Beef: Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef. Cook until browned and no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks. Remove the beef from the pan and drain any excess grease.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same skillet, melt the unsalted butter. Add diced onions and cook until they begin to brown. Add chopped celery and diced carrots, then season with salt, dried thyme, and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté until vegetables begin to soften.
- Add Tomato Paste and Flour: Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes to toast it. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well to coat the vegetables, cooking for another 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Deglaze and Simmer: Pour in the dry sherry or red wine and bring to a simmer while scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Return the browned ground beef to the skillet, bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in Peas and Transfer: Mix in fresh or frozen peas and then transfer the beef and vegetable mixture into a 2-quart casserole dish evenly.
- Top with Colcannon Potatoes: Spoon dollops of the prepared colcannon mashed potatoes on top of the beef mixture. Spread evenly to cover, touching the edges of the dish. Create swirls or score the surface diagonally with a knife for texture, then lightly sprinkle with paprika.
- Bake: Bake the assembled shepherd’s pie in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the potato topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbly.
- Rest and Serve: Allow the shepherd’s pie to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving to let the flavors meld and the filling set.
Notes
- What’s better than Shepherd’s Pie? Shepherd’s Pie with a Colcannon top, of course! The mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage and leek turn it into an Irish Shepherd’s Pie that’s uniquely flavorful and comforting.
- Use Yukon gold potatoes for the creamiest, richest mashed potatoes that best complement the savory filling.
- To enhance the flavor, use dry sherry as the deglazing liquid—red wine is a suitable substitute.
- Make sure to let the pie rest after baking; it helps the filling thicken and makes serving easier.
- For a vegetarian version, substitute the ground beef with lentils or mushrooms and vegetable stock instead of beef stock.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 685 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 735 mg
- Fat: 36 g
- Saturated Fat: 21 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 47 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 41 g
- Cholesterol: 168 mg
