Shepherd’s Pie is a hearty comforting meal that contains ground meat in a rich gravy topped with vegetables, creamy mashed potatoes, and cheddar cheese that are all layered together, and baked to perfection.

Shepherd’s Pie is a dish commonly served around St. Patrick’s Day, but I particularly love to make Shepherd’s Pie in the fall. Since this recipe calls for ale beer I like to use a seasonal fall ale to cook in with the meat and gravy. The rich flavor of the fall ales tastes amazing in the gravy. If you are really adventurous you can use Guinness in place of an ale beer for a rich dark gravy.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can use whatever ground meat you have on hand. My dear friend from England taught me that Shepherd’s Pie traditionally calls for lamb meat, and Cottage Pie calls for beef or mutton. Since I typically like to use deer meat, she jokingly suggested that I title this recipe blog “Hunter’s Pie.” Then I did some research and she is absolutely correct! The venison version of this recipe is indeed called Hunter’s Pie.

After doing more research I also learned that the vegetarian version is called Shepherdess Pie which is made without meat of course, and the vegan version is called Shepherdless Pie which is made without meat and dairy.

Shepherd’s Pie is not only a versatile dish but it is also a convenient dish that can be prepared ahead of time. Just prepare and layer the Shepherd’s Pie, and cover and keep it in the refrigerator until it’s time to pop it in the oven. Before baking it be sure to take it out of the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to allow it to come to room temperature. I find it is best to bake it within 3 days of preparing it.

I like to serve this Shepherd’s Pie with a garden salad and Texas toast. And of course a bottle or two of your favorite amber ale beer certainly pairs well too.

Let’s get to cookin’! Here’s what you’ll need…

Ingredients:

Meat Layer

• 2 lbs. ground meat
• 1 tsp. Cajun seasoning
• 12 oz. amber ale beer, divided
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 packets of dry brown gravy mix
• 1 1/2 cups water

Vegetable Layer

• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 24 oz. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper

Potato Layer

• 3 lbs. russet baking potatoes, peeled
• 1 cup warm milk
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature (not melted)
• ½ tsp. garlic, minced
• 1 ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Since we always have a freezer full of deer meat on hand, I like to incorporate deer meat into any recipe that calls for ground meat. For this recipe I used half ground beef (73% lean) and half ground deer meat.

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray a 9×13 casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Meat Layer

2. In a large skillet, add ground meat and Cajun seasoning. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the ground meat is cooked all the way through and no longer pink.

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3. Drain the ground meat and add back to the skillet.

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4. Slowly add 1 cup of ale beer, and stir and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until almost all of the beer has cooked down.

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5. Add tomato paste, brown gravy mix, water, and remaining 1/2 cup of ale beer to the cooked ground meat and stir.

6. Cook over medium heat stirring frequently until the meat mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 minute, or until the gravy has thickened.

7. Transfer and layer the ground meat to the prepared casserole dish and set aside.

Vegetable Layer

8. In a large skillet, sauté the onions in olive oil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until soft and translucent.

9. Add mixed vegetables, salt and pepper, and sauté for an additional 5-10 minutes.

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10. Transfer the vegetables to the casserole dish and layer on top of the meat layer. Set aside.

Potato Layer

11. Place the potatoes in a large pot and then cover the potatoes with cold water.

12. Bring to a boil and cook partially covered for 20-25 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes) until easily pierced with a knife.

13. Drain well and transfer to the bowl of your stand mixer.

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14. Mash the potatoes lightly with the whisk attachment by hand to break them up.

15. Fit the mixer with the whisk attachment, turn the mixer on low speed, and slowly drizzle in the warm milk.

16. With the mixer on low speed add the softened butter 1 tbsp. at a time, waiting a few seconds between each addition. The potatoes will be whipped and fluffy.

17. Add garlic, salt and pepper, and mix on low speed.

18. Transfer the whipped potatoes to the casserole dish and layer on top of vegetable layer.

19. Top the potatoes with shredded cheddar cheese.

20. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly. Enjoy!