Shepherd's Pie

St. Patrick’s Day is a fun holiday to incorporate your children when creating traditions!  Wearing green, making wishes for the upcoming year, hunting for clovers, and cooking up some traditional Irish foods!  A lot of the dishes that come to mind are heavy with meat and potatoes, but Shepherd’s Pie is a delicious way to sneak in some veggies.  It incorporates ground meat, mashed potatoes and diced vegetables like onions and carrots.  Shepherd’s Pie was originally created as a way for frugal housewives to stretch their food supplies and avoid waste.  It has been documented in cookbooks since the late 1800’s and remained a staple due to its versatility, comfort and ease!  

Incorporating Culture

My boys won’t go for traditional Irish corned beef, but Shepherd’s Pie is a win for them because it uses familiar foods in a new way.  The texture is easy for toddlers to self feed or eat with a spoon.  There aren’t any hot spices that you have to vary for kids, so it’s a great dish the whole family can enjoy!  Originally, Shepherd’s Pie was made with lamb, but I prefer ground beef.  However, either will taste wonderful!  

Keep it simple

Don’t hesitate to look for ways to simplify cooking at home and make it more approachable for you and your family!  The diced veggies may take you some extra time, so buying them pre-chopped may be helpful with your prep time.  I prefer to make the mashed potatoes in my instant pot to have one less pot to watch and one less burner heating up my kitchen.  Whole Foods and other grocery stores have great pre-made mashed potatoes if you’d like to skip this step altogether!  These options are not “cheating”, they're a way to remove some stress and keep things fun in the kitchen!

Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

Meat mixture:

  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 lb. grassfed ground beef or lamb
  • 2 tsp dried parsley leaves
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves -minced
  • 2 T all purpose flour
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots
  • ½ cup diced celery

Potato topping:

  • 4-6 Russet potatoes peeled and cubed ~2 lbs
  • ⅔ cup canned coconut milk
  • 3 Tbsp ghee or grassfed butter
  • 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add potatoes and cook until very soft.
  3. Drain in a colander and return to the pot.  Add canned coconut milk and ghee or butter.
  4. Mash with a potato masher or fork. Sprinkle in salt, pepper and nutritional yeast, making sure to disperse evenly.  Add more ghee or butter if you want your potatoes extra creamy!  Set potatoes aside.  
  5. Heat a large oven proof cast iron pan over medium high heat and brown the ground beef or lamb meat. Make sure to break up any lumps.  Remove from the pan onto a plate and set aside.
  6. Add olive oil to the pan and place over medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, peas, carrots, and celery.  Cook until carrots are softened.  Salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Return the ground meat to the pan.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Toss to coat.
  8. Simmer for 3 minutes to thicken the sauce.
  9. Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat mixture. Using a spatula, smooth the top.  Garnish with a pinch of extra herbs and cracked pepper.
  10. Bake on a cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are golden.  Let cool for 10-15 minutes before enjoying!
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