Leftovers or not, this is humbly delicious

Shepherd’s Pie, or Cottage Pie, has been a highly debated topic amongst foodies concerning the appropriateness and principal behind the naming process. In my opinion, I’ll throw in leftover tapas or Chinese food and call it Shepherd’s Pie.

According to some chefs, Shepherd’s Pie was invented to repurpose cooked meats that would otherwise go to waste. Similar to how a meatloaf works, it was also used to preserve dishes longer with either a thick breaded dough or the more commonly seen potato crust.

This recipe can be made from scratch or from leftovers. In this case, we will be inferring that you are making this fresh for your guests.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

1lb of Ground Beef

1lb of Lamb

1 Diced Onion

1 Diced Carrot

1 Cup of Peas

3 Large Potatoes, Cubed

1 Stick of Butter

½ Cup of Beef Broth

1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

Salt and Pepper

Alternatively, you can choose your favorite vegetables, meats, and even fruits to use in this recipe; however, it would be best to cut them as small as possible to allow for even cooking. Also, if you have some leftovers, feel free to experiment with those as well.

Cook

Boil cubed potatoes in salt water for about 18-20 minutes. You want to ensure that they are as soft as possible to mash up later on.

At the same time, sauté onions, carrots, and peas in half a stick of butter for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Add both the ground beef and lamb, then sauté in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and reduce heat to low until meat is no longer pink. This should take about 5-7 minutes.

Place the mixture into a baking dish and evenly set across.

Take the cubed potatoes and let them drain from the water before mashing them with the remainder of the butter.

Use the mashed potatoes and evenly distribute on top of the mixture in the baking dish.

Bake in an oven heated to 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until the mashed potatoes brown.

This dish is easy and quick to make for any new chefs or students entering the kitchen. This dish works well as a starting place for many different type of recipes, and you can easily diversify the flavors to suit your taste.

In fact, some people have made this with vegetarian curry, while others have used fresh fish and Asian flavors. This is an excellent dish to keep yourself and your fridge full for a couple of meals. As always, have fun in the kitchen and always enjoy good eats!