How to Prepare Perfect Shepherd pie

Shepherd pie. Yes, shepherd's pie is predominantly thought of as Irish or British. But since I'm Scottish, I thought I'd give it a unique twist to suit my ancestral tastes. The use of lamb, the smoky, heather taste of Guinness® Draught (Irish, I admit), and the topping of sharp Cheddar and smoked paprika give this version its unique, smoky-sweet flavor.

You'll love the convenience of this easy, comforting shepherd's pie from Martha Stewart. Unlike other shepherd's pie recipes, this one calls for frozen vegetables instead of fresh and can be made the day before. Traditionally, shepherd's pie is made with lamb (hence the name). You can have Shepherd pie using 8 ingredients and 5 steps. Here is how you achieve it.

Ingredients of Shepherd pie

1. You need 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef.
2. Prepare 4 cups of mashed potatoes.
3. You need 2 1/2 cups of mixed vegetables.
4. It's 4 cans of refrigerated biscuits.
5. It's 2 cups of brown gravy.
6. It's 2 tablespoons of salt.
7. Prepare 1 tablespoon of coarse ground pepper.
8. It's 1 tablespoon of onion powder.

However, as the dish gained wider popularity outside of its native English homeland (where using beef would make this a cottage pie), beef became a common substitute, especially in America where it's more widely available than ground lamb. Shepherd's pie is traditionally made with a ground-lamb filling, but we make ours with ground beef. The sauce is really simple and flavorful, but the best part is the insanely fluffy mashed potato. These shepherd's pie recipes run the range from the traditional (featuring ground or minced lamb) to the modestly modified (ground beef instead of lamb) to the more modern and experimental (vegan or paleo shepherd's pies).

Shepherd pie step by step

1. Line deep baking dish with biscuits. Let them set while doing other steps.
2. Brown ground beef. Cook mixed vegetables, adding seasoning. Combine vegetables with ground beef in mixing bowl. Mix..
3. Spoon 1/2 vegetable/meat mixture onto biscuits. Drizzle with 1/2 of gravy. At this time preheat oven to 375 degrees..
4. Add a layer of mashed potatoes, using about 1/3. Add second layer of vegetables/meat and top with gravy. Cover with rest of mashed potatoes..
5. Bake for 15 minutes and then broil for 15 or until potato topping is golden brown..

Cover with at least an inch of cold water. Traditional Irish Shepherd's Pie would actually call for ground lamb. The difference between Shepherd's Pie and Cottage Pie is the meat. Cottage Pie uses ground beef, while Shepherd's Pie uses ground lamb. I called this recipe Shepherd's Pie.

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