Shepard’s Pie

This recipe for Shepard’s Pie is a yearly special for us. For our honeymoon we went to Ireland for a week and while there fell in love with the Irish and their food. One particular item was the Shepard’s Pie and now we make it every year on our anniversary.

• 1 pound ground lamb

• 3 large potatoes

• 3-4 peeled and chopped carrots

• 1 white or yellow onion

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2-3 tablespoons butter

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 cups frozen or fresh peas

• 6 ounces Guinness beer

• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

• Oregano

• Bay leaves

Preheat oven to 375° F.

For mashed potato topping: Peel potatoes and chop into chunks. Boil chopped potatoes in a large pot of salted water until potatoes are tender.

Drain water from pot, add in your butter and milk, and mash until creamy with a few small chunks remaining. Set aside.

Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray.

For filing: In a large skillet sauté the onion and garlic, add in the ground lamb and cook until browned making sure to crumble the meat until evenly broken up. Add salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, Bay leaf, and Guinness. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in frozen peas and carrots.

Pour meat mixture into your baking dish and shake to evenly disperse. Spread mashed potatoes evenly over the meat mixture.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes until mixture under potatoes is bubbling. Turn broiler on low for about 5 minutes to toast the top of the potatoes forming a light golden crust. Allow to rest for about 10 minutes before serving.