Friday, January 18, 2013

Homemade Shepherd's Pie Recipe

Working full time and being a student and a wife keeps me pretty busy. So when it comes to making dinner, I try to choose easy and nutritious, but inexpensive meals that both my husband and I can have for lunch the next day. Shepherd's Pie sometimes gets a bad rap, but we have found that doubling the meat, using less potatoes, and using a healthy serving of grass fed butter, fresh rosemary, farm fresh raw eggs, and raw milk help make this typically bland dish burst with rich flavors. 

In fact, we have made this recipe for company and it has even become a frequently requested meal train favorite. The peas and the corn give it a sweetness that makes little ones ask for seconds and thirds. This particular pie was taken to a dear friend who recently had a baby.

Another added bonus to this particular recipe is that it is gluten free!


 Ingredient list:

  • One large onion
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 pounds of ground beef
  • One bag of frozen peas
  • One bag of frozen corn
  • 3 sticks of butter
  • 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce
  • One can tomato paste
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of raw milk
  • A sprig of fresh Rosemary
  • 2 pounds of potatoes
  • Garlic
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Paprika
  • One cup of Sour Cream, optional
Makes six servings.

Directions

1. Chop the carrots and  onion into small pieces.


2. In a large pan, melt 1/2 of a stick of butter.


3. Sautee the onions in the pan until golden brown.


4. Add ground beef and cook until brown. Be careful not to overcook the beef; you will be baking it later.


5. Add one 1-1/2 cup of tomato paste.


6. Add one teaspoon of cracked pepper and a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.


7. Chop a spring of rosemary finely.


8. Add it to the meat sauce.


I love rosemary. It is such a versatile herb. I am never disappointed when I use fresh rosemary in my cooking. And if I pick too much off the bush, I place it in a cup with a little water and the smell refreshes the whole house. Did you know that fresh rosemary leaves are loaded with vitamin C, B complex and minerals? To read more about the health benefits of rosemary go here.


9. Pour in about two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, or however much you like. My hubby likes a lot!



10. Add the frozen peas.



11. Then add the corn.




12. Mix well.


14. Scrub the potatoes clean.


15. Chop them into a  few pieces and boil them for about 30 minutes, or until they slide of the fork.


16. Add three eggs, two sticks of butter, a 1/2 a cup of milk, and mash the potatoes..


17. In a large baking dish, add the meat and vegetable mix.

18. Then spread the mashed potatoes on to to create a nice, thick layer.


19. Sprinkle on a generous dose Paprika on top. We like the smoked kind.

20. Place in the oven at 400 until it is warmed through and the top is golden brown.


Enjoy with a dollop of sour cream or not. As an Eastern European, I think everything tastes better with a little bit of sour cream ;-)

This post was highlighted on the blog Gastronomical Sovereignty!

8 comments:

  1. this looks delicious! I'm in. :)

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  2. I found your blog through a friend, and I made this tonight for dinner. My hubby and 18 month old daughter gobbled it up like crazy!! Super yummy!! Thank you for the recipe!!

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    1. I am so glad you made it:) I love this recipe. I recently made a shepherd's pie for a girlfriend of mine who has hyperemesis gravidorumw, basically severe nausea during her pregnancy, and she said this was the only thing that she could keep down. Crazy! I brought her bone broths, mashed vegetable soups and she preferred this. We are still in disbelief but I am making her more since it works!

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  3. Diana,
    I just found your blog and subscribed. My wife and I are taking our garden to a new level this year! We hope to make it more of a food source than just a hobby. I am slowly making the transition to whole foods. This recipe looks great and doesn't have a ton of hard-to-find ingredients. This will be on the menu this week for sure! I look forward to digging into your blog!

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    1. Let me know what you think?! We recently started planting more food too in our garden and I love it. It is a lot of work but oh so satisfying. My husband is currently doing a permaculture design course and turning our back yard into a permaculture practice garden. It has been fun to watch him make all these interesting changes to the soil. Thanks for subscribing to the Kitchen Rag! Your comment made my week!

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  4. shepherds pie! oh i LOVE shepherds pie!! it reminds me so much of home.

    ...did you know: shepherd's pie isn't shepherd's pie? my english boyfriend (england is where this dish originates) tells me shepherd's pie MUST contain lamb. Hence the "Shepherd"... shepherd's pie with beef = cottage pie. weird, huh?

    thank you for sharing with us at the Wednesday Fresh Foods Link Up. I hope to see you again this week with more seasonal and real/whole food posts! xo, kristy

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  5. We absolutely LOVED this recipe- hands down, the best shepherd's/cottage pie ever. I added a few leaves of kale, finely chopped and a couple handfuls of mushrooms chopped as well. My kids dont like either much, and sneaking them in during the browning meat stage had their flavors completely disguised! We also added a smidge of bone broth while sauteing the onions, to boost the nourishment up a notch. I had never tried rosemary in it before- it was great!

    The eggs mashed into the potatoes are absolutely brillant- it makes the most delicate crust on top. I sprinkled the tiniest bit of grassfed shredded cheddar on top, along with the paprika- more for looks than anything else.

    Fabulous! Thank you for posting!

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    1. I am so glad you made this! I will totally make this with kale and mushrooms, two my most favorite ingredients by the way! What a great idea. Adding broth too! You just made this shepherd's pie even better! I am making another pie for another meal train this week so I will have to try it with these new ideas:)

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