Beef Shepherd's Pie

Submitted by Valerie in Florida

"From Food Network. From now on, my only Shepherd's Pie recipe."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 20mins
• Ingredients: 22
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1 celery rib, sliced
• 1⁄2 lb cremini mushroom, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1⁄4 cup canned low sodium beef broth
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• fresh ground black pepper
• 4 cups mashed potatoes, recipe follows
• 1⁄4 cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)

• Mashed Potatoes

• 1 1⁄2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled quartered
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
• 3⁄4 cup whole milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• fresh ground black pepper

directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. For Beef Mixture:.
3. Heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, half the salt, and oregano. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until mushrooms are soft and tomato paste has turned brick red, about 8 minutes more. Stir in the beef, the broth, the remaining salt, the Worcestershire, and some pepper, breaking up any large clumps of meat, cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 3 minutes.
4. Transfer the meat and vegetables to a 2-quart oval casserole dish and spread the mashed potatoes over the top, leaving a 1/4-inch boarder around the edge. Make a decorative pattern on the top of the potatoes, if desired. Sprinkle with cheese, if using, and dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake until potatoes brown and the juices bubble around the edge, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
5. For Mashed Potatoes:.
6. Put the potatoes in a saucepan with cold water to cover by about 1-inch and add the salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. At the same time, combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan and warm over low heat until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
7. Drain the potatoes and return to the saucepan. Toss the potatoes over medium heat until dry. Add the heated milk mixture and mash the potatoes until just slightly chunky, then stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Reviews

[Maven in the Making]

Perfect! Just what I was looking for. Made everything per recipe except that I had diced roast beef leftover which I subbed for the ground beef and I had leftover mashed potatoes. It was hearty and delicious. Thanks so much.

 

[adopt a greyhound]

Great meal. I made half the recipe for the two of us and still have leftovers. I accidentally grabbed the chipotle instead of the tomato paste in the freezer so once I smelled it, I got it out and put the paste in. A little spice but was great. Loved the parmesan on the potatoes.

 

[Cathy from Saratoga]

Fantastic!! I just joined this website just to review this recipe. It was deelish. I made it tonight for my husband and I, figuring that we could have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Well, needless to say, my two sons, ages, 23 and 25 arrived with their 3 friends, just as it came out of the oven. Being the great mom that I am, lol, I put it on the table for them and within 15 minutes, it was gone. They couldn't stop raving about it. The only thing that I did differently was to add the whole small can of tomato paste as did another reviewer. My husband and I did get a little taste and will definately make it again. My youngest even asked me to make it for his birthday dinner. Next time, I think I'll add a handful of frozen corn as well, just for extra color. Thanks Valerie for a wonderful recipe

 

[lotusflwr]

Very good recipe. Savory, delicious, and perfect comfort food. I added sage, thyme and rosemary when cooking the vegetables. I also added green beans (when I was a kid, my mom always put green beans in!) I ended up using a jar of mushroom slices and it came out pretty good. I wound up using an entire 6 oz can of tomato paste, since it just didn't look tomato-y enough to me without it (plus I didn't know what to do with 2/3 a can of tomato paste leftover!) I used instant mashed potatoes on top to save time and sprinkled shredded colby jack on top (again, like my mom used to do.) :) As you can tell from all my substitutions and additions, it's a very versatile recipe, easy to add or subtract and make however you or your family wants it. :) My husband really enjoyed it and he never had shepherd's pie growing up. It is definitely going to be a family staple.

 

[jwilkins]

My husband is NOT a casserole person, and had never eaten a Shepherd's Pie before we were married. Even then, it was not one of his favorites, until I made THIS ONE! He loved it and he will ask for it about every 2-wks, especially when the weather cools down. He even requested I take it to our Church Pot Luck!