Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Recipe: Irish Shepherd’s Pie


With temperatures dipping well below zero, I wanted to make something warm and comforting so I immediately thought of Irish Shepherd’s Pie.
The recipe immediately transports me back to my great-grandmother’s kitchen where I would sit on a kitchen chair patiently waiting for my turn to mix the ingredients.
 
When served with a warm loaf of rustic ciabatta bread and garden salad, Irish Shepherd’s Pie makes the perfect meal for a cold winter’s day.
 
I hope you enjoy!


  Irish Shepherd’s Pie

For the filling:
1 lb of ground lamb*
1 Jar of Beef Gravy
1 Can of Sweet Corn
1 bag of mixed Veggies
 
Topping:
½ pound of potatoes
Kerrygold Red Leicester Cheese
Handful of dried parsley
 
Pre-prep:
Spray a glass pan with cooking spray—I used Olive Oil spray—and set aside.
Open the bag of frozen veggies, put in a colander, and rinse with lukewarm water. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.
Shred the cheese
 
Topping:
Prepare potatoes just as you would when making mashed potatoes—Potatoes can be made the day before. Add in half of the shredded cheese and parsley mix well.
 
Directions:
1—brown the ground lamb until cooked through, drain the grease.
2—Add browned lamb to the veggies add gravy. Mix thoroughly.
3—Pour into pan, spreading even.
4—Spread corn evenly on top of gravy/veggie/meat mixture.
5—Spread on the mashed potatoes.
6—Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
7—Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes.
8—Remove from oven allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
 
 
*Not a fan of lamb or having trouble finding it, use ground beef or turkey instead. If using turkey, switch beef gravy to turkey gravy.  To make this into a vegetarian dish, I add an extra bag of frozen veggies and 2 cans of water chestnuts.  
 

Red Leicester is a sharp and tangy cheese kind of like a cross between cheddar and Cheshire. A firm cheese that is brilliant for grating that also melts well. Use Red Leicester the same way you would use sharp cheddar.
 

What recipes evokes memories for you? 


2 comments:

Anna@herding cats&burning soup said...

Love Shepherds pie but for some reason hadn't made it yet this winter. I do a veggie version of it. They make great soy based hamburger crumbles which I use in mine. So good.

Angela @ Simply Angela said...

My gran would use water chestnuts for her veggie version, so that's what I've always used as well but I'll have to try it with the soy based hamburger crumbles.