Shepard's Pie with Champ Mash

By christoph

Irish comfort food at its best. A hearty stew topped with creamy mashed potatoes loaded with green onions.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion diced
• 2 medium carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 ½ pounds beef roast*** or lamb roast cubed
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh Rosemary
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ pounds potatoes peeled and cubed
• ¾ stick butter
• ¼ cup milk
• 6-8 green onions thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Details

Servings 8
Preparation time 15mins
Cooking time 205mins
Adapted from jamesandeverett.com

Preparation

Step 1

Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and carrots until slightly softened. Remove vegetables from pan and set aside.
Increase the heat to medium-high and add the other tablespoon of oil. Add the cubes of steak and cook turning to evenly brown all sides.
Add the beef stock, tomato puree, and Worcestershire sauce to the skillet and stir to combine. Return onions and carrots to the skillet. Tie the thyme and Rosemary into a small bundle with kitchen string and add to the skillet. Bring to a mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer partially covering with a lid. Simmer for about an hour or until the liquid has thickened.
To make the champ mash for the topping, boil the potatoes in a large pot of water until fork tender. Drain potatoes and mash together with milk and butter until smooth and creamy. Mix in green onions and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat oven to 350°F and lightly spray an oven proof baking dish with non-stick spray.
Pour the beef gravy mixture into the baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the top with fresh ground black pepper.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops of the potatoes have started to brown.
Cooks Notes
***Shepard’s pie is traditionally made with ground lamb. I used part of a beef roast for this dish, you could also use ground beef if you prefer. Shepard'e pie made with beef or ground beef is usually known as Cottage pie.