Sheep Herder’s Pie

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I am still roaming the countryside searching for items to send to Cassi in Belgium. I am still having no luck finding what I have been searching for, and it’s starting to feel like a conspiracy. How can every store be out of the same cleanser? Why can I not find an Iowa Christmas ornament, or any ornament that looks like something from America? They seem like such simple items that should be easy to find.

I always seem to be searching for the impossible. Perhaps that is why I purchase so many items on the internet. Target used to be my go to store. Now each time I go, they seem to have removed more and more items from their inventory. Do they really think that we will not notice?

For some bizarre reason, cooking seems to calm me down after an insane day of useless shopping. Something warm and soothing that takes no technical skills whatsoever to prepare. Sheep Herder’s Pie. When I was growing up, we called it Sheppard’s Pie. I did not care for it much, mostly because my mom made it with peas! I have developed a fascination with Irish pub food over the last couple of years, and this recipe caught my eye…..

McGuire’s Pub is a restaurant in Florida that I have never been to. I found their cookbook on ebay last year, and I have been slowly working my way thru it. Sheep Herder’s Pie is a keeper. My son Alex proclaimed that it can go on the “make this anytime” list. Now that is a compliment! 🙂

This recipe is really simple to put together, which makes it even more perfect!

How to make Shepherd’s Pie:

Peel and slice the potatoes and parsnips……

Place potatoes and parsnips in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until potatoes and parsnips are fork tender, about 15 – 20 minutes…..

As you can see, the parsnips are lighter and float on top.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes…..

Add the meat and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes…..

Stir in the flour and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until flour is golden brown, about 2 minutes…..

Do not answer the phone, you will end up forgetting to add the flour until after you are almost finished! 😉 Add the tomatoes, thyme, sage, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1 Tablespoon of parsley. Simmer for about 3 minutes…..

Stir in the beef stock and cook, stirring constantly, until the entire mixture starts to thicken, 3 – 4 minutes…..

Pour into a 9″ deep-dish pie pan or an oval 9 x 13 baking dish…..

Drain the potatoes and parsnips. Combine potatoes, parsnips, 2 Tablespoons butter, 1 Tablespoon parsley, cream, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl…..

Beat with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy…..

Add enough cream {coconut milk} to make them creamy, but be careful not to thin them too much. The potato mixture needs to be thick.

Option 1 – Scoop potato mixture into a large zipper bag (or decorator bag) fitted with a 1″ fluted tip. Pipe the potato mixture over the meat. Start in the center and pipe in a circular motion until the entire pie is covered with potatoes. This will give it a raised appearance, but you will probably still have to touch it up with a fork…..

Option 2 – Scoop potato mixture with a large spoon and carefully smooth out over the meat mixture. Use a large fork to create a swirly pattern…..

Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of melted butter over the top and bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 35 minutes…..

Allow your Sheep Herder’s Pie to sit for 15 minutes to an hour if you can, and it won’t be as “loose” as mine is…..

I have no patience and it smells soooo good….I just can’t wait to dive in!!

I shipped the box off to Belgium without the ornaments, and without the cleanser. Perhaps tomorrow I will go out and try again…..

{I did go back out and I found a different brand of cleanser that I shipped to her}

You may have noticed the different baking dishes throughout this post. The recipe calls for a 9-inch deep dish pie pan that I place on a baking sheet because it bubbles over the sides. This time I decided to try using an oval 9 x 13 baking pan to avoid the boil over. Weeeelllll, it still bubbled up and instead of bubbling over the sides, it bubbled within the pan. So appearance wise, I think I will stick with the 9-inch pie pan in the future, and I will take the time to pipe the potatoes on top. 😉

Enjoy!!

Sheep Herder's Pie

Sheep Herder's Pie, Cottage Pie, Shepherd's Pie, there are many names for this classic meal that consists of a meat filling and a mashed potato topping!

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: lamb, beef, potatoes, turnips, comfort food, recipe, main course

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings: 6 Servings

Calories: 579kcal

Author: Lisa Johnson

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Ingredients

• 2 cups potatoes (peeled and sliced)
• 1 cup parsnips (peeled and sliced)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter (divided)
• 2 Tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley (divided)
• ¼ cup milk or heavy cream (I used unsweetened CashewMilk)
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup onions (minced)
• 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef (or lamb)
• 2 Tablespoons all-purppse flour
• 2 cups diced tomatoes (canned)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon ground sage
• 1 cup beef stock

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Instructions

• Place potatoes and parsnips in a large saucepan. Cover with water and heat over high heat.
  
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until potatoes and parsnips are fork tender, about 15 - 20 minutes. Remove from heat and drain.
• Combine potatoes, parsnips, 2 Tablespoons butter, 1 Tablespoon parsley, cream, salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the meat and cook until browned, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, about 8 minutes. Drain fat.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Return the meat to the skillet. Stir in the flour and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until flour is golden brown, about 2 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, thyme, sage, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1 Tablespoon of parsley. Simmer for about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the beef stock and cook, stirring constantly, until the entire mixture starts to thicken, 3 - 4 minutes.
• Pour into a 9" deep-dish pie pan.
• Scoop potato mixture into a large zipper bag (or decorator bag) fitted with a 1" fluted tip.
• Pipe the potato mixture over the meat. Start in the center and pipe in a circular motion until the entire pie is covered with potatoes. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of melted butter over the top and bake until the potatoes are golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Notes

• My potatoes were not browned after 35 minutes, so I turned on the broiler for about 5 minutes to finish it off.
• This dish is very "loose" while it is still hot.  After about 2 hours it started to set-up and held together better.  This is a perfect meal to make a day ahead.
• Make sure you use a DEEP pie dish and place it on a baking sheet.  I used a Pampered Chef dish and the mixture barely fit. You can also use a 9 x 13 baking dish, but you might want to double the potato/parsnip mixture for better coverage.

Nutrition

Calories: 579kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 1064mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 420IU | Vitamin C: 22.9mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 6.8mg