Classic Shepherd's Pie
By America's Test KitchenPublished on September 7, 2011
Time
1¾ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
Filling
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 large onion, chopped fine2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped fine2 pounds 85 percent lean ground beef Salt and pepper 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon tomato paste ¼ cup heavy cream 1 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth ¾ cup beer 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves 1 cup frozen peasTopping
2 ½ pounds russet potatoes . peeled and cut into 2-inch piecesTable salt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted⅓ cup heavy cream, warmedGround black pepper 1 large egg, beatenBefore You Begin
Although just about any mild beer will work in this recipe, we particularly enjoyed the sweet flavor of O’Doul’s nonalcoholic amber.
Instructions
- Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onion and carrots and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, about 12 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste and cook until paste begins to darken, about 1 minute.
- Add cream and cook until it spatters, about 1 minute. Add broth, beer, soy sauce, and thyme and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick but still saucy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peas, adjust seasonings, and transfer to broilersafe 2-quart casserole dish.
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to cover to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to saucepan, and mash potatoes with butter and cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread potatoes over filling, using spatula to smooth top (see photo). Brush with egg and drag fork across top to make ridges. Bake until filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Turn on broiler and cook until top is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Serve.
- To make ahead: Make the filling through step 2, but do not add the peas. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. When ready to proceed, reheat the filling in a large saucepan, stir in the peas, and transfer to a broilersafe 2-quart casserole. Proceed with the recipe from step 3.
for the filling
for the topping
Time
1¾ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Filling
Topping
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Shepherd’s pie, a meaty beef or lamb, carrot, and pea filling topped with rich mashed potatoes, can be pub grub at its very best, though it rarely is. Too often, it is a soupy, flavorless gruel with a mushy topping. For a full-flavored, firm-topped shepherd’s pie, we thoroughly browned the beef and softened the vegetables in butter for the richest flavor. Adding a little cream to the beef helped to keep it tender as it simmered. We thickened the filling with flour, briefly cooking the flour with the meat, vegetables, and tomato paste to remove its starchy flavor. We jazzed up the filling’s flavor with soy sauce, tomato paste, and beer. The soy sauce lent depth and color; its distinctive flavor disappeared behind the other ingredients. Finally, we made the mashed potatoes for the topping extra stiff and very rich for the best texture and flavor. Adding an egg ensured that they turned stiff and firm once baked. Sealing the potatoes firmly to the edge of the baking dish prevented the filling from bubbling out.
Before You Begin
Although just about any mild beer will work in this recipe, we particularly enjoyed the sweet flavor of O’Doul’s nonalcoholic amber.
Instructions
- Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onion and carrots and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, about 12 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste and cook until paste begins to darken, about 1 minute.
- Add cream and cook until it spatters, about 1 minute. Add broth, beer, soy sauce, and thyme and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick but still saucy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peas, adjust seasonings, and transfer to broilersafe 2-quart casserole dish.
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to cover to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to saucepan, and mash potatoes with butter and cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread potatoes over filling, using spatula to smooth top (see photo). Brush with egg and drag fork across top to make ridges. Bake until filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Turn on broiler and cook until top is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Serve.
- To make ahead: Make the filling through step 2, but do not add the peas. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. When ready to proceed, reheat the filling in a large saucepan, stir in the peas, and transfer to a broilersafe 2-quart casserole. Proceed with the recipe from step 3.
for the filling
for the topping
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