I love shepherd’s pie with a passion. Well, wait, let me correct that statement: I love cottage pies because that’s what I grew up with, the main difference between shepherd’s and cottage being what kind of meat you use. Shepherd’s pies are made with lamb because shepherds herd sheep and cottage pies are called cottage because…well, I’m not too sure where that one comes from.
To me, there’s nothing more comforting than the combination of meat and vegetables topped off with smoothrich mashed potatoes. Shepherd’s pie will always be one of my favoritefoods, one that makes me feel all-is-right-with-the-world-kinda-fuzzy. Serve me a shepherd’s pie and I am one happy person. Which is what Mike did, in the thick of winter, on a particularly heavy snow day. He told me to cozyout, and watch the snow fall, wrapped up in a blanket, while he made me dinner. Then he one-upped himself and told me that he was going to make me not one, but two(!) shepherd’s pies so I could do a little compare and contrast.
It was pretty exciting, I have to admit. Mike picked out two British recipes: Jamie Oliver’s and Gordon Ramsay’s. Going into it, we both thought that Ramsay’s recipe was going to be the clear winner, but it turned out that we were both blown away by Oliver’s! It was so good I had to make it again and again and again. As a potato-lover, I love how the potatoes surround the lamb filling, which is incredibly savory due to the fact that it’s bone-in roasted lamb instead of the typical mince. I did modify the potato recipe a little bit, pushing the boiled potatoes through a sieve for extra smoothness and stirring in some sour cream for a bit of tang, which went well with the richness of the lamb filling. This recipe isa little bit of a time investment, but it’s mostly hands off and I think it’sperfect as anEaster dish: just a touch more fancy than your regular shepherd’s pie, but just as comforting.
Okay bye! I’m gonna go sneak a bit of leftover pie right now ;)
Jamie Oliver’s Lamb Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
serves 4
- 1 – 1.5 lb lamb shoulder chop (bone in, see notes)
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 sticks celery, diced
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves only, minced
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1.5 cups water
- 3-4 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons shredded cheddar
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons butter, optional
via Jamie Oliver
Jamie’s full recipe calls for 2 kg of bone-in-lamb and makes enough to fill two standard quarter sheet pie pans. In this version, I quartered his filling so that 1.) it only makes enough for one pie and 2.) it fits the standardsmaller round pie pan we use in North America. That’s why there is only 1/2kg (or 1 lb) of meat!
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Generously rub the lamb chop with a bit of oil and season generously, on all sides. Place into a snug-fitting high sided oven safe dish and add a bit of water to the bottom. Roast for 2 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
Remove the lamb from the oven and let cool slightly. Take the lamb off the bone and roughly chop, being sure to save the bones, fat, and accumulated juices from roasting.
There should be about 2 tablespoons of fat in the roasting tray. Place into a high sided pan and heat over medium. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and rosemary. Cook, stirring, until lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle on the flour and stir well. Add the lamb, bones, and tray juices to the pan, as well as 1.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, reducing until you get a loose, lamb stew. Season with salt and pepper.
While the lamb is cooking down, prepare your potatoes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt. Add the potatoes and cook until very tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain, then mash (I pushed my potatoes through a sieve for extra smoothness) and mix in the butter, milk, sour cream, and cheddar. Taste, adjust with extra milk and butter if needed, and season.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a pie dish, spread a thin layer of potato on the bottom and sides. Spoon in the lamb filling and then cover with the remaining mashed potatoes. Top with dabs of butter, if desired.
Bake for 1 hour, until the top is crisp and golden. Enjoy!
13 Comments
Rick Campanalie says:
April 10, 2017 at 6:50 am
As soon as I am off my low carb diet I am going to give this a go!
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April 10, 2017 at 7:45 am
I was just trying to figure out what to eat for Easter, only knowing that I wanted lamb. And here you come through! This looks fantastic. I’m not surprised that Jamie Oliver won the taste off- he’s sneaky like that.
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Ariel says:
April 10, 2017 at 6:11 pm
It looks so delicious.
I think this one is the best pie.
I really want to taste it.Reply
jenny says:
April 10, 2017 at 6:18 pm
This is great recipe. I guess potatoes and meat are really good combination!! l want to try this recipe.
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Janice says:
April 11, 2017 at 12:35 pm
Omg that looks so amazing! I’ve got to attempt to make this this weekend.
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Frank says:
April 30, 2017 at 11:41 am
Just saw this and it looks like a must try. The quantity of lamb struck me as a bit skimpy, however, so I Googled Jamie’s recipe and found that he calls for 1 kg. of lamb, not 1 lb. Darn that metric system!
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Stephanie says:
May 1, 2017 at 12:56 pm
hey frank!
jamie’s does call for 1 kg~ i halved his recipe here, so technically it should be 1/2 kg or 2.2 pounds. he also freezes half of his meat after cooking, so i went with 1 lb to make it slightly more veg heavy. i’ll change update the post though, thanks for the heads up :)Reply
Marisa says:
May 11, 2018 at 3:40 pm
OMG! One of the very best shepherds pies I have ever tasted. I made it for a sick friend because they wanted real lamb and not mince. A definite winner and 5 STARS!
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Terry Haines says:
April 22, 2019 at 8:02 pm
sounds delice gotta give it a try.
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Maria says:
March 8, 2020 at 6:02 am
Would really love to prepare it for my family
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Susan Armstrong says:
May 12, 2020 at 8:24 am
1kg. equals 2.25 lb. meat. 1/2 kg. would be just over a pound.
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marion says:
March 3, 2021 at 3:16 pm
please everybody, there is a huge difference in taste, and texture between Shepherds Pie made with ground “left over” Roast Lamb and boiled Pickled Lamb,,mixed well with tomato sauce and a dash of worcestershire sauce, seasoning and black pepper,, with no vegies added, but beans, carrots and cabbage served with it,, —-Cottage Pie,
uses mince meat to be cooked etc etc,,not the same taste and texture,, but you have to have a meat mincer,, or chop the cooked lamb finely ,,,Reply
