| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Yield: | 8 servings |
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil, as needed
- 2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 3 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice
- 2 large leeks, white part only, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 cup stout beer, such as Guinness
- 3 to 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bundle fresh thyme
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch dice
- 3/4 to 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 to 3 tablespoons cold butter
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Coat a wide pan with olive oil and bring to a medium-high heat. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and toss with the flour.
- Add the lamb to the pan and brown well on all sides. Remove the lamb from the pan and reserve. Ditch the oil in the pan and add a splash new olive oil. Add the carrots, celery and leeks to the same pan. Season the mixture with salt and cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables are soft and very aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste starts to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the beer and cook until it reduces by half. Return the lamb to the pan. Add enough stock to just cover the surface of the lamb. Taste and season with salt if needed. Toss in the bay leaves and thyme bundle. Bring the stock to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, about 1 hour. When the stock level reduces, replace with more to keep the meat submerged.
- Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover by 1 inch with tap water. Season the water with salt and bring the water to a boil. Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the water from the potatoes and pass them while they are still hot through a food mill. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the cream to a boil. Beat the cold butter and hot cream into the pureed potatoes. Taste and season with salt if needed. The potatoes should be creamy and very flavorful.
- Remove the lid from the lamb and add the peas. Simmer for 15 minutes more to allow the stock level to reduce. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. When done, the lamb mixture should be thick and stew-like. Remove the bay leaves and thyme bundle and discard.
- Preheat the broiler.
- Transfer the lamb to a wide, flat flameproof baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the lamb mixture in an even layer. Place the baking dish under the preheated broiler. Broil until the potatoes are golden brown and crispy.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 697 |
| Total Fat | 46 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 42 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 130 mg |
| Sodium | 1159 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 697 |
| Total Fat | 46 g |
| Saturated Fat | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 42 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 8 g |
| Protein | 27 g |
| Cholesterol | 130 mg |
| Sodium | 1159 mg |
Reviews
Probably the best shepherds pie I’ve ever had! I cooked the lamb for 3 hours low and slow and it is so insanely tender! I had to do lamb stew meat because that’s what I could find but it worked! It is so insanely delicious!! My new favorite!
Was great
Like most I did substitute a couple of things, however the basic premise was the same. I used beef stew meat because my kids don’t like lamb. I also used a little bit of red wine vs a whole bunch of beer. I probably used 2 tablespoons tomato paste..just eye balled it. I didn’t have celery and didn’t think it was needed anyways. At the end I used a small slurry of flower/water to thicken the stew a bit more. Although I changed a few things the recipe turned out incredible! I am telling you it was amazingly good!! My family loved it and I’ll definitely make it again. I’ve made shepards pie before but it was very basic and I used ground beef. The extra effort was worth it. Feast on friends!
I can honestly say this was one of the best dishes I have ever made. I grew up on a strange version of SP that called for canned green bean, tomato soup and mashed potatoes that came in a pouch and you added water to. What a difference. My husband grew up eating a version that called for peas and corn which he liked but he is raving about this. Of course all is not perfect….it takes a lot of pans and utensils, ingredients and time to make, but it’s worth the effort. I rarely say that. This was worth the effort. I agree with previous comments about the amount of liquid used which does not seem to cook down at all. Luckily I heeded the warning somewhat and did not use most of the liquid called for. The end product was terrific and you can make it ahead of time to suit your schedule.
Awesome dish! Made with steak!
I made this recipe and thought the flavor was delicious. However, mine was a bit soupy which was ok but needed more potatoes on top. I may have used to large of a pan. I would recommend this recipe.
My whole family (even the picky ones loved this recipe! I did forget to tie up the thyme though and was picking out random sprigs while eating. Oops! Other than that (and not having a food mill or potato ricer I followed the recipe exactly and thought the flavor was amazing. My mom thought the chunks of lamb were steak. Now I just have to get a food mill and/or potato ricer so my mashed potatoes can be as smooth as silk.
I haven’t tried the Shepherd’s Pie 2 yet, however I would like foods with fewer items. I live in a small town where some ingredients are very hard to find at the local grocery. I also have a shopper for myself, she is not good for hunting items that seem different. I don’t shop because I am home bound/handicapped–due to my health. I really get bored with the average everyday green beans, potatoes, roast, and corn. I would love to expand the things I have if there were fewer ingredients. Love your show. Love lamb, but is extremely expensive and hard to find at the groceries here.
My family loves shepherd’s pie, and after seeing Anne make this on tv we had to try it. It was very good, we use a similar recipe but, I think this one is better. The sauce is very delicious and I loved the lamb chunks vise the ground as in our other recipe. The only thing to watch out for is adding too much broth, we added a bit more than we needed to and it was a bit soupy. We cheated on the potato’s and used ready made… I’ll make this again,,, Thanks Anne
Made this last night after watching it on Food Network a few days ago. It was not my favorite Shepherd’s Pie but it was good. Only change I made to the recipe was to use Ground Lamb. My Thyme bundle was about 5 sprigs. It was Ok, I won’t make it again but I wanted to try it. Flavor of sauce was nice and potatos were yummy – I didn’t measure heavy cream or butter to recipe, I’ve made mashed potatos enough to know how my family likes them. Over all good, but I do find it difficult to believe after watching Anne cook, that this is “The Best Pie She Ever Made” :-