A delectable strawberry-lemon variation of everyone’s favorite poke cake that’s ideal for outdoor gatherings.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 35 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 1 9×13-inch casserole |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 pounds lean ground lamb
- 1 onion, diced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 ½ cups water, or as needed
- 1 (12 ounce) package frozen peas and carrots, thawed
- 2 ½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and halved
- ¼ pound Irish cheese (such as Dubliner®), shredded
- ¼ cup cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Place olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in ground lamb and onion; cook and stir until meat is brown and crumbly, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in flour until incorporated. Mix in garlic, ketchup, rosemary, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper; cook and stir until garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring mixture to a simmer; cook and stir until thick, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Remove lamb mixture from heat, then stir in peas and carrots until combined.
- Spread lamb mixture into the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish; set aside.
- Place potatoes into a large pot of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to the pot.
- Mash Irish cheese, cream cheese, butter, and cayenne pepper into potatoes until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Whisk together egg yolk and milk in a small bowl; stir into mashed potato mixture.
- Top lamb mixture in the baking dish with mashed potatoes; spread evenly to cover.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 517 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 37 g |
| Cholesterol | 132 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Sodium | 301 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 28 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
loved it
I added mushrooms
I think it’s excellent made as written, which is how I made it the first time. This time it still was excellent, but I used frozen mixed veggies because I had them on hand. This is by far the best Shepherd’s Pie I’ve ever had.
I didn’t realize that I was out of lamb AND beef, so I made this with left-over, baked chicken, minced. Then, I was out of milk and substituted sour cream. Cotswold was my Irish cheese and I sprinkled the teensiest bit of nutmeg on top before baking because I love it. The dish turned out wonderfully… I’m not sure what spiciness the other members encountered, so I’m thinking that it might have been the lamb. My Irish self is not fond of lamb, either (except in Greek cuisine!) If lamb is the issue, try the chicken. This recipe is perfect for it. I would not change a thing, especially if all ingredients are handy!
I made this for the family the other night and it was delicious!! It was gone by the following evening. I would note that I used beef broth instead of water. Will definitely make this again.
I cut this recipe in half for just me and my husband. We love it! I use a #8 cast iron skillet. Instead of transferring the meat and veg mixture into a baking dish, I leave it in the skillet, top with mashed potatoes and bake. But not everyone likes lamb. If you make it with ground beef or even ground turkey, I’m sure it would come out good. But if you use different meats it would be cottage pie. Because beef cattle and turkeys don’t need a shepherd to look after them! Happy eating!
I thought this was quite spicy. I made the recipe as directed only without the beef broth, I substituted beer and Irish whiskey..the cayenne pepper wowed us. And, I weighed the potatoes out; shoulda made more.
very tasty and filling
The recipe was great, I did however, use a leftover smoked leg of lamb chopped up pretty small, and also added Worcestershire. I thought the depth of flavor was exceptional and the sticky thickness of the mashed potatoes worked well.
Only change was beef instead of lamb. My family loved it.
I’ve eaten lamb before and liked it – but found that I am not a fan of ground lamb – had an odd flavor. That being said, overall a good recipe, everything in one bite! Next time, I will for sure substitute beef for the lamb but other than that wouldn’t change anything.
I made this 3 times now. My husband and kids love it. Just follow the receipt! Thanks chef John.
This was absolutely amazing. I made it just like it says and it was delicious. My family went for seconds, this is the right way to make shephards pie. This recipe deserves 10 stars
My 15 year old liked this but wasn’t in love.
The final completion of the recipe is the mashed potatoes which are dependent on the cooking. I was a little disappointed with the lightness of the potatoes which could have been fluffier. Otherwise, it was delicious.
Did not like the cinnamon. I also thought it needs something else. The potato are too rich.
This was fabulous! The only things I changed were using 90% lean ground beef and adding a couple teaspoons of horseradish to the potatoes.
Delicious
it was good, but very bland to be honest.
Delicious!
Came out great! Don’t skimp on the Irish white cheddar.