I had never made a shepherd’s pie until we moved to London 10 years ago. (Has it really been 10 years since I have lived in the USA?) It doesn’t seem that long. It was quickly added to Rick and Alex’s list of favorites. Alex even ordered a giant portion of it at the Cheesecake Factory when I was in San Antonio last week. I told him that it was really simple to make and that I would post the recipe here. This recipe is adapted from the Leith’s Cookery Bible by Prue Leith and Caroline Waldgrave. They run a cooking school in London.
Ingredients-
1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
8 oz frozen mixed vegetables
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef broth (made with bouillon cubes)
*2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
*2 teaspoons tomato paste
Topping-
2 lbs mashed potatoes and grated cheddar
Method-
Brown the ground beef and chopped onion in a large frying pan. Add the vegetables and mix well. Next sprinkle with the flour and mix to coat the ground beef and vegetables and cook for about 30 seconds until lightly browned. Slowly add the beef broth and bring to a boil stirring continuously until the sauce is thickened. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and tomato paste and add salt and pepper to taste. Tip the mixture into an ovenproof dish and top with the mashed potatoes and cheese. Bake at 400 degrees about 20-30 minutes until the potato is slightly brown and crusty.
* The Worcestershire sauce and the tomato paste are key ingredients in this recipe it will not taste like a true shepherd’s pie without them.