In the world of sweet, delicious pies I hope we all remember there are savory pastries as well. Not that this pie has any pastry, though you could lay some down if you chose.

Shepherd's/Cottage Pie is an old, old pie. It was originally a way to use up leftovers, which you can certainly do. The concept of Shepherd's meaning with lamb and cottage meaning with beef is actually a newer idea, but both are delicious. This version is made with beef. There are many small plus-ups one can add if they choose.

Supplies

The two most important ingredients are ground meat and mashed potatoes. You can cook ground beef, cover it in mashed potato, broil it, and you've technically done all you need to! You can use instant mashed potatoes if its easier, canned beef if you need to. I think doing as much as you can from scratch will give you a better-tasting pie, but you have to do what's best for you!

You will make the FILLING and the MASHED POTATOES at the same time.

This recipe calls for:

FILLING

1 Pound Ground beef (best with about 1.5)
~1/4 cup Flour
2-4 Cups Stock - I really prefer chicken stock if I can't make it myself. Canned beef broth never tastes great, in my opinion.
~ 2 cupts Frozen Carrots/Pea Mix - You can use up any veg you like for this. Corn is a great addition, as is diced fresh carrots. If you might put it in a stew, it is likely good here. Mushrooms! So many things!
An Onion - It's an onion. Dice it!
Minced Garlic - Fresh is best, but I enjoy convenience.
Thyme (not pictured) - or any herbs you enjoy. Rosemary is also quite nice, especially if using lamb.
Tomato Paste
Worcestershire Sauce (not pictured)
Salt/Pepper

MASHED POTATO

Potatoes - Russets or Yukon Golds
1 Cup Milk
1 Stick Butter - Real butter. Treat yo'self.
1/4 Cup Sour Cream
Salt/Pepper

MAKE IT IN: A Cast Iron Skillet. This is a 12", but I honestly prefer a 10. Deeper is better. I use this so I don't need to add the filling to a different pan. If you want to make a lot, you can use a baking dish. Your filling should leave about an inch of headspace. I'd love to help you, but you'll need to figure this out on your own.

Note: Always remember - you have to like eating this. Leave things out or add things in. You can make your filling closer to a chili if you like, even add beans and tomatoes. You can use leftover stew! It's all Delightful.

Step 1: Boil Up Some Taters

Take the dish you're making the pie in and add the raw potatoes. I do this to give me a good idea of how many I will need. A loose collection should give you a good concept of how they will spread and fill when mashed. If you are worried, a little too much is better than too little.

Add water and a bit of salt to a pot with your potatoes. Try to cut your potatoes so they are all the same size. Put on the burner. Once the water starts to boil, turn the heat down so it simmers. The potatoes are done when you can easily stick a knife into them. I usually let them boil while I do the next step.

Step 2: What's Your Beef?

Start frying up your ground meat, beef in this case. If you are using leaner meat you might need to add a little fat such as lard or bacon grease. That is not a joke. Olive Oil can work as well. You will be adding some flour and cooking this in its own sauce later so some fat in the pan is very valuable.

When it starts to sizzle and the pink is gone (or mostly gone) add the diced onion. No, I did not forget about the garlic.

Step 3: Preheat Oven to 400F

I'm not going to tell you how to do this. I'm not even going to insert a picture. Turn your oven on.

Step 4: Get a Stew Going

When the onions have cooked down, add your tomato paste and sprinkle your flour on. Let it mix and sizzle a little before you add your broth. You can also add a little whiskey or beer or red wine. Red wine is very good with lamb. I am using a little lager here and it was delightful.

Scrape up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan and stir things up. It should look like a pie filling made of meat, which means it should be saucy and not soupy, so do not add all the broth at once.

It is at this point I suggest stopping unless the potatoes are done. This will stay warm. You can add your garlic and thyme here as well, but I will add it later.

Step 5: Do the Mashed Potato

I love chunky, "rustic" mashed potatoes. This is not a situation in which they work well. If you can, use a food mill or potato ricer. If all you have is a masher, do your best to mash them quite well. You really do want a smooth, but firm mashed potato here.

After milling, I put them on the lowest heat and melt the butter into them. This takes a lot of stirring. Today, I used half a stick of butter but butter tastes good, so I recommend as much as you like.

When the butter is melted I add some sour cream (unless I am using real cream instead of milk) and the milk. Do not add all the milk at once. Add a little, stir, and add a little more as needed. You do not want it soupy. This is also the time to add salt and pepper.

If mashed potatoes give you anxiety, it is okay to use boxed mashed potatoes. These are literally dehydrated potato flakes. They work very well and you can get a very good consistency with no worry. I am not able to tell you how to determine how many flakes you will need.

Step 6: Finish the Filling

This is the time to heat things back up if they've cooled. Add a little more broth if needed, and some salt and pepper, your herbage, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. This is the time to add your vegetables as well. You want to heat everything up until it is hot. If you're using frozen veg, it will still cook quickly if the pieces are small. This is why diced carrots and peas, or corn niblets work well.

Something you can do to improve this is to add more broth, add all your filling ingredients except the vegetables, and let it simmer for a bit longer than I did. I was making this for dinner and wasn't able to, and it still tasted pretty darn good. I do wish we'd had some corn, though!

Step 7: Top and Oven

If you are feeling fun and you've got the time, you can add slightly cooled mashed potato to a piping bag or large zip-top and pipe the mashed potato onto the filling. It's very fun and I recommend trying it at least once. I didn't have the time, so I plopped it on with a spatula!

PRO TIP: It is easier to use smaller plops. They will spread more easily. Take the time to seal around the edges as you want the filling completely covered. Everything is still warm, almost hot, but we will put this into a preheated oven (400F) for about half an hour. Check halfway. You want things to be bubbling up a little and to have some browning on the top of the potatoes.

Secret Ingredient: A little fresh grated parmesan on top is very nice.

Step 8:

When the top looks nice and brown, maybe even slightly crisp, take the pie out and let it cool slightly. I suggest 10 minutes, but that's really hard to do, so maybe 5?

You do not need to cut this as you would a dessert pie. A spoon will do. I suggest a bowl for service.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

A little shredded cheddar
Your favorite hot sauce
Fritos - especially if you went a little spicy and didn't tell me.

This pie is the basis of many great recipes. You can see how it may have influenced Frito Pie or even Minnesota hotdish. It is really a delightful meal. You can likely throw this together for a quick evening meal with a few shortcuts. My kids love it because they think it is very cool and unique. I hope you'll try it if you've not had one before.