Shepherd's pie is basically, ground beef or leftover roast beef, peas, carrots, diced onions, some garlic, salt and pepper, all moistened with gravy and topped with mashed potatoes. It is then baked in the oven until the potatoes are lightly browned and the meat mixture is bubbly.

There are lots of recipes for it out on the web. I just wing mine.

Chase thanks for your reply.Is it good?I know everone likes the same foods but Do you or your family like it?Judy

We love it, pure comfort food. My Mom used to make it when we were little and I bet her Mom made it before that. It is an old British dish, very popular in the pubs, however in England it is traditionally made from lamb.

Oh and I forgot, I also splash in some Lea and Perrin's Worcestershire sauce

It's also fantastic made with venison, in which case it's usually called Deerstalker Pie. But it's the same dish.

Traditionally, as Chase notes, it was made with lamb. But that's changed, and Shepherd's Pie is now more of a generic stew that describes an approach: the ingredients are diced on the smallish side, and the mashed potatoes are arranged in an open ring around the outside edge of the dish.

Shepherd's Pie is my 12yo son's favorite dinner. I basically make a chicken pot pie filling, put a layer of cheddar cheese over the filling, then top with leftover mashed potatoes, sprinkle with a little more cheese and bake at 350F until bubbly, about 30-40 minutes. I've done it with beef, chicken and turkey - when I made the turkey one I chopped up the leftover stuffing and added that to the filling.

As Chase said - it's pure comfort food :-)

Becky

Shepards pie is only as good as the cook....I have had some awful ones!
If the meat is well seasoned and the gravy you mix it with good and there aren't too many peas and there is some onion and the mashed potatoes didn't come as flakes out of a box....yes, it's wonderful.
But you sure can mess it up!
Linda C

Shepherd's Pie was one of my kids' most requested recipes. If I had the leftovers, I just made a layer of meat, gravy and vegetables then topped with mashed potatoes and baked. If I had to start from scratch, this is what I did:

Shepherd's Pie
Actually this is a "Cottage Pie" because it uses beef instead of veal

1-2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T flour
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 cup beef or chicken broth
dash worcestershire
1 cup green beans
4 cups mashed potatoes

Brown meat with onion and garlic (drain if fatty). Sprinkle with flour, salt and pepper, stir until flour is mixed in. Add broth and worcestershire, cook until liquid is thickened. Pour into a casserole, layer beans then potatoes on top.

Bake 400 for 20 minutes until the top of potatoes start to brown.

Cindy

Yes, shepherd's pie is just basic comfort food. Everyone I know has their own twist on it. Ours is seasoned ground beef with gravy on the bottom, corn in the middle and garlic mashed potatoes on top. Place it in the oven to bake and your done. We love it. NancyLouise

KNORRS"S makes a great Shepherds Pie powder packet mix that can only be found stateside in Irish shops thats where I buy mine at my local Little Shop of Shamrocks in Islip NY..it really is terrific!

The traditional Shepherd's Pie is made with minced lamb. (Shepherds deal with sheep, remember?!)

If it's made with another meat, then it becomes Cottage Pie.

I like to top it with strips of mashed potato and mashed kumera (orange sweet potato). You can put slices of tomato underneath the spud if you want. It's a dish that's wide open to interpretation, but it's always GOOD!

Shepherd's Pie
This is the traditional recipe, designed to use up leftover cooked lamb and vegetables. Minced lamb or beef may be substituted.

Finely chop, or process, a large amount of lean lamb, and mix in grated carrot, onion, celery, parsnip, mushrooms or other vegetables as available. Add a large spoonful of tomato paste, herbs and spices to taste, and a tablespoon or two of apple juice if liked. Place into a large, lidded saucepan, bring to the boil, then cover with enough water or stock to make a thick sauce consistency, and simmer, covered, until the vegetables have softened. Boil some potatoes or red sweet potatoes, drain and mash with an egg or two (depending on the quantity) and a little milk. When the meat is cooked, transfer it to a casserole dish, cover it with mashed potato, and sprinkle over some grated cheese. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

I make mine basically the same way as Cindy, but without the beans. I saute a little chopped celery in with the onions and the garlic and season with a little fresh thyme as well.

This is one of my son's favourites and he makes his own version of it now.

Ick -- I must say I've never liked shepard's pie -- always tastes like cafeteria food to me, even when made by people I consider good cooks...

Emily

Everone has such wonderful recipes for shephards pie.
I'd like to add one more to this list. this recipe is also called chinese pie or in french porte chinois.
first thing is to brown 1 1/2 to 2 lbs hamburg in a frypan ,
boil 3 to 4 potatoes in a pan.
take grounded up hamburg and layer it into a casserol dish, than add 1 can of whole kernel corn and 1 can cream style corn layered over the hamburg, than mash potatoes and layer potatoes over the corn. butter the top of the potatoes , sprinkle with papprika , bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. feeds 6. for smaller batches reduce amount of ingredients.

Found this recipe in Hospital waiting room.
6 slices of bacon
1 lb of ground beef
1 1/2 cup of baby carrots (cut in half)
1 1/2 cup of frozen peas
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 10 oz jar of beef gravy or 2 cups of your gravy
1/4 cup of chili sauce
salt and pepper to taste
Mashed potato for the top
Cook the bacon,divided in half,chop into small pieces. Cook the beef, drain off fat, add 1/2 of the bacon, gravy, carrots, and chili sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes. Now add sour cream and peas, and simmer about 3 minutes. Pour mixture into a 2 quart baking dish, and mound the potato around the outside of baking dish, leaving the middle open to check to see if carrots are done, sprinkle the remaining bacon on top of casserole. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
This casserole is so good. Precook the carrots, and yes this recipe need the baby carrots.
Phil!!