Absolutely Delicious Classic Shepherd’s Pie

I like to have my dinners planned out at the start of the week, but sometimes I find something extra special at the grocery store that I want to make right away. That’s what happened this week. I was shopping in the meat section when I found several packages of ground lamb pretty reasonably priced. I’ve never seen ground lamb there before so I immediately scooped up three pounds, knowing exactly what I would make with it: shepherd’s pie!

I have made cottage pie in the past, but never shepherd’s pie. Cottage pie is made exactly the same way as shepherd’s pie except with ground beef instead of lamb. Well, here was my chance to finally make this classic English dish.

I love when I can make tasty food that is also good for my family. The savory lamb and homemade mashed potatoes are the perfect combination of protein and carbs for my two teenage boys. Like my husband John when he was their age, they have a little difficulty gaining weight. Since they have been working out for about a year now, they are burning calories even faster. We may not need the extra carbs, but growing and exercising teenage boys certainly do. This is the ideal dish for them.

So here we have one happy mom. I get to make a dish I have always wanted to, and I get to feed the hungry cubs. Oh, and did I mention John’s mom was English? He loves shepherd’s pie. Wow, I hit a home run today. Everybody was happy!

Many shepherd’s pie recipes call for Worcester sauce which I switched out for Red Boat. All of Red Boat’s products are gluten-free as they do not contain wheat or wheat by-products and are produced in a gluten free facility. The ingredients are quite simple: just anchovy and sea salt.

When I contemplated out loud substituting mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes, I got a unanimous request from my kids to please make mashed potatoes. So mashed organic potatoes it was. Many consider potatoes paleo, read here, Since white potatoes are considered nightshades, people who are sensitive to these may want to substitute mashed cauliflower.

When buying potatoes, I always buy organic as potatoes are listed as one of the dirty dozen, frequently found to be contaminated with toxic insecticides. Of course, if you’re trying to watch your waistline, you may not want to eat potatoes as they are a high glycemic index vegetable. After a good workout, though, there is no harm in a moderate serving of mashed potatoes.

I whipped the potatoes in the food processor with coconut milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Yum. They are sooo creamy.

For the coconut milk I use in this recipe, I recommend Native Forest that is organic, certified gluten-free, and canned with non-BPA packaging. Native Forest doesn’t add any extra sugar or sweeteners, just pure coconut goodness. There is also a “light” variety that should also work beautifully with this recipe.

To cook your lamb, heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and carrot and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for another minute. Now add the ground lamb and stir over medium heat, breaking up the meat with a spatula while it browns for 5 more minutes. Drain the lamb mixture.

I had a pot of homemade chicken soup in my fridge so I used a cup of the broth. You can use gluten free stock. Pour that into the skillet and add the Red Boat sauce, tomato paste, salt, and nutmeg. Simmer until slightly thickened for 5 minutes. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with your fluffy mashed potatoes. Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter on top of the potatoes. Bake for 40-50 minutes until golden. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

There you go. Hearty and flavorful shepherd’s pie is the perfect comfort food for the cooler nights ahead. The rich ground lamb covered in a heavenly blanket of golden-brown mashed potatoes is sure to get a thumbs up from your family. And we all love that, right? 🙂

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ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS CLASSIC SHEPHERD’S PIE

 

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Prep time

35 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 25 mins

 

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6-7 large organic potatoes, peeled and quartered
• ½ cup coconut milk
• 5 tblsp. butter, divided
• 3 tsp. salt, divided
• dash of pepper
• 2 tblsp. coconut oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 lbs. ground lamb
• 1 tblsp. gluten free tomato paste
• 1 tblsp. Red Boat
• 1 cup gluten free chicken stock
• dash of nutmeg
• parsley

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400℉.
2. Steam potatoes for 20 minutes. Drain and place in the bowl of your food processor fitted with the large chopping blade. Add coconut milk, 2 tblsp. butter, 2 tsps. of salt and a dash of pepper. Process until fluffy and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and carrot and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add ground lamb and stir over a medium heat, breaking up meat with a spatula for 5 more minutes. Drain lamb mixture. Pour in stock, Red boat, and add tomato paste, 1 tsp. salt, and nutmeg. Stir. Simmer until thickened for 5 minutes. Spoon into 2 quart casserole dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes around the top. Dot the remaining 2 tblsp. of butter around the potatoes. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Ovens may vary so check after 40 minutes and bake until the casserole is done to your liking.

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