I’d never made a Shepherd’s pie before, but the Fall weather had me craving a warm, hardy dish that screamed comfort food. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical making this dish at first… Peas, corn, carrots, and beef? Mashed potatoes are easy to love, but would the other flavors go together? This combo instantly reminded me of a scene from my favorite show, Friends, where Rachel tries to make a trifle for dessert and it goes very, very wrong. Would this be the same? Minus the lady fingers?
SPOILER ALERT: They do and you’ll never stick your nose up to the combo again.
My favorite group of ladies was coming over for a girl’s night, so I thought I’d give it a go. The Food Network hit it out of the park, again, with this recipe. Per usual, I modified the ingredients a little bit to fit my preferences and to stretch the serving size as well, so I wanted to share my version with all of you!
This recipe starts out with mashed potatoes. They’re super easy to make if you use a KitchenAid Stand Mixer as it does all the heavy lifting. Start by boiling your potatoes in a large stock pot then transfer everything over to the mixer. You’ll be licking your fingers in no time!
I used my Corning Ware casserole dish because it’s large, easy to clean, and so versatile. You can actually assemble everything the night before and then bake it when you’re ready. It’s a good time-saver and I think it even added to the flavor as everything had a chance to sit and blend together overnight.
One thing is for sure, I’ll be making this dish again, and soon! Hope you like it.
- 7 large russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1/3 cup half and half
- 4 Tbs butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup onion chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and diced small
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 3/4 cup corn kernels drained
- 3/4 cup peas drained
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 Tbs all purpose flour
- 1 Tbs tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsps rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- Add the diced potatoes to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Let the potatoes boil for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until easily pierced with a fork.
- Drain the potatoes and add to your stand mixer or into a large mixing bowl. Add in the butter and begin to mix on medium speed.
- Slowly add half and half, salt, and pepper, and increase the speed of the mixer to medium high.
- Mix for one minute and then add in the egg yolk. Mix for another minute or until the potatoes are smooth. Set aside.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. If baking right away, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Place the olive oil into a large sauté pan and set over medium high heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté until they begin to take on color, approximately 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the ground beef, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 8 minutes.
- Add the flour and tomato paste, stir to combine. Then add the chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly. Remove from heat. Add the corn and peas to the beef mixture, stir to combine.
- Prep a large 9x13 pan with oil and then spread the beef mixture in the pan. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.
- Bake for 25 minutes if baking from hot. If baking after it sits in the fridge, bake for 35 minutes. Once baked, let cool for 10 minutes prior to serving.
