Your grandmother made it; your mother made it; maybe your aunts, uncles, or even you have made it. You probably didn’t like it much then, and you probably don’t like it much now. No one really likes that stuff; and yet somehow, some version of it ends up at almost every potluck meal. It’s dry, filled with green beans, mixed with gravy, all in one giant, mixed together dish… and somehow it uses ketchup??
No, no, no. This Shepherd’s Pie recipe is based on one I found directly in Ireland, and then I adapted it to be even better. And you’ll love it, because – sneak peek – my version involves garlic, for starters.
One of the best parts is, this recipe is done almost entirely to taste. So, if you don’t like as much cheese? Well, you’re wrong for that, but you can take the quantity down. Want more beef broth than I do? Well, feel free to put it in.
Without further ado, here’s how to make the recipe. It’s a lot easier than it looks.
What you’ll need
A nice, deep pan
Four ramekins, or oven-safe bowls
Mixer – a hand mixer or bowl mixer
Cookie sheet
Bowl to whip potatoes in
One pound of ground venison (or pork, lamb, beef, etc.)
Two handfuls of potatoes (flexible)
One pound bag of Colby Jack Cheese
About two cups of beef broth
About a quarter cup of flour
One or two onions – one if big, two if small
Two or so carrots
Ground garlic
About four tablespoons of butter
Two tablespoons of cream (or milk)
Parsley if you’d like – just for looks
Salt… so much salt
The recipe
Peel the potatoes, and dice.
Cover potatoes in water and boil.
Brown the meat. When it’s done, set it aside. I like to put it in one of the ramekins I’ll be using later to save on dirty dishes.
While the meat is browning, dice the onions and set aside. Also peel the carrots, dice into little pieces, and set that aside with the onions.
When the meat is done, put butter in the same pan you browned the meat in, and put the carrots, onion, and garlic in. Cover and leave for ten minutes, stirring once between. Get the flour and beef broth ready and set aside, because the next part is quick.
Put in the flour, and stir it all together. Before the flour burns, pour in the beef broth and stir. If you want it to be less thick, put in more beef broth. Turn up the heat and get it to the boil, stirring occasionally.
When it boils, add the meat, and stir. You can add a little parsley or something green here for looks if you’d like! Add some salt to taste, and stir.
When the potatoes are done – you’ll know they’re done when you can poke them with a fork and they’re the consistency of a soft baked potato – drain them. Whip them in a bowl with about two tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of cream, some garlic, and some salt.
9. Put the meat base in each of the four ramekins, and cover completely with a layer of cheese. Put a glob of mashed potatoes on top, and fan it out with a fork till the potatoes cover the edges. Cover with another deep layer of cheese.
Set the full ramekins on a pan, and cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until the cheese is golden with crispy brown spots on top.
OR layer the ingredients in a large cast iron skillet and bake as directed above.
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