Really good shepherds/cottage pie

[Anonymous]

Any time I’ve ever made shepherds pie it’s thoroughly mid. Maybe it’s just that it’s simple comfort food and I shouldn’t expect so much? Or I landed on dud recipes. Please let me know if you have an amazing flavorful recipe.

[Anonymous]

What are you using as a base? What kind of mashed potatoes are you using?

Think about developing each of the parts separately to be delicious, then combining. Add umami (fish or worchestershire sauce, maybe a mashed anchovy or 2) and likely acid (wine, tomato). Salt and pepper, paprika.

Make the mashed potatoes good on their own. I like to use sour cream in addition to butter for the bit of tang.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What are you using as a base? What kind of mashed potatoes are you using?

Think about developing each of the parts separately to be delicious, then combining. Add umami (fish or worchestershire sauce, maybe a mashed anchovy or 2) and likely acid (wine, tomato). Salt and pepper, paprika.

Make the mashed potatoes good on their own. I like to use sour cream in addition to butter for the bit of tang.

Oh it’s been so long I don’t really remember how I’d done it. But the mashed potatoes may be the culprit. I probably would be tempted to underseason and underbutter them thinking they wouldn’t need as much flavor as on their own. Good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are you using as a base? What kind of mashed potatoes are you using?

Think about developing each of the parts separately to be delicious, then combining. Add umami (fish or worchestershire sauce, maybe a mashed anchovy or 2) and likely acid (wine, tomato). Salt and pepper, paprika.

Make the mashed potatoes good on their own. I like to use sour cream in addition to butter for the bit of tang.

Oh it’s been so long I don’t really remember how I’d done it. But the mashed potatoes may be the culprit. I probably would be tempted to underseason and underbutter them thinking they wouldn’t need as much flavor as on their own. Good point.

Everything in a good dish needs to be properly seasoned and delicious. Otherwise it will drag down the whole thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What are you using as a base? What kind of mashed potatoes are you using?

Think about developing each of the parts separately to be delicious, then combining. Add umami (fish or worchestershire sauce, maybe a mashed anchovy or 2) and likely acid (wine, tomato). Salt and pepper, paprika.

Make the mashed potatoes good on their own. I like to use sour cream in addition to butter for the bit of tang.

Oh it’s been so long I don’t really remember how I’d done it. But the mashed potatoes may be the culprit. I probably would be tempted to underseason and underbutter them thinking they wouldn’t need as much flavor as on their own. Good point.

No, no, no. Those potatoes need to be great by themselves. I also will add some grated cheddar or other cheese just to amp them up more.

[Anonymous]

BBC has some good recipes. I add white wine to the meat, I like it with a little bit of a bolognese feel. I do half cauliflower/ half potato for the top with yogurt (same idea as sour cream, less fatty).

[Anonymous]

I make a vegetarian version. I use Trader Joe’s beefless beef crumbles. English busting gravy, an onion, frozen veg for the “ meat part” then make the mashed potatoes with skins on, milk, butter, salt, pepper.

[Anonymous]

https://www.melskitchencafe.com/shepherds-pie/


This is my favorite recipe. Adding the egg yolk to the mashed potatoes really does make a difference.

[Anonymous]

Lidl grocery store sells a good frozen Shepards Pie.

[Anonymous]

Gordon Ramsay’s is delicious:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M_GNznvIN1E

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:BBC has some good recipes. I add white wine to the meat, I like it with a little bit of a bolognese feel. I do half cauliflower/ half potato for the top with yogurt (same idea as sour cream, less fatty).

This is the one I use for cottage pie - it's always a hit. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cottage-pie

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BBC has some good recipes. I add white wine to the meat, I like it with a little bit of a bolognese feel. I do half cauliflower/ half potato for the top with yogurt (same idea as sour cream, less fatty).

This is the one I use for cottage pie - it's always a hit. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cottage-pie

My spouse is British and makes cottage pie almost exactly like that recipe, sans the nutmeg and cheese; just straight up mashed potatoes crisped on top in the oven. The kids love it, too.

[Anonymous]

I don't like the heaviness of potatoes on their own, so I incorporate a mashed turnip and carrot in my mashed potatoes. Lightens it a bit, without sacrificing taste.

And I add generous lashings of Worcestershire!

[Anonymous]

Alton Brown's is good - I've made it with ground turkey before. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/shepherds-pie-recipe2-1942900

A good vegetarian one is this from the NY Times https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019221-vegetarian-shepherds-pie

[Anonymous]

We used to use leftover lamb. That's pretty expensive now.