Hey hungry people! I recently shared on my instagram page that my cooking strategy is totally disorganized. I tend to start with whatever products I need to use up before they spoil (or leftovers that need to be used!) and build my meal around that with foods I have in the house. Some of the beauty in cooking is that there are NO rules!, and you can get creative! Today I wanted to share my version of a Savory Shepherd’s Pie – perfect for using up leftovers or a hearty winter meal.
I happened to have some leftover hamburger patties we had grilled earlier in the week that I knew we weren’t going to eat as hamburgers. Well, this one’s easy…. ground meat is ground meat and really easy to repurpose. I don’t normally keep potatoes in the house, but did have a few yellow potatoes around (during the time of COVID-19 quarantine where we’re cooking and eating almost every meal at home!)
From this was born my idea of Savory Shepherd’s Pie!…. which I had never actually cooked before – ha! Most of my recipes are developed this way. So here it goes:
Preheat your oven! – 400 degrees oughta do it!
If you’re using leftovers, chop up your cooked hamburgers and set aside. Begin browning your ground meat. I used ground turkey that I had available, but beef or even pork would work for this recipe too.
While the meat is browning, start boiling your potatoes for the topping. I used about 3-4 medium sized potatoes which, when chopped were all the same size, about 1″ cubes. It’s important to chop them the same size so they cook evenly. Boil until fork tender (about 15 minutes), and drain the water. Set aside.
Once the meat has browned, add 1 large onion and cook until translucent. (If you’re using any pre-cooked meat I would add to the mixture at this point as well).
Add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and stir well. After these are distributed evenly, add the spices (thyme, sage, parsley, salt, pepper). Cook until fragrant.
Add the 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste, 2 tbsp of flour and 1 cup of Beef Broth to deglaze the pan. Continue to stir until all the clumps of flour and tomato paste have been dissolved, and add your vegetables.
I used a bag of frozen mixed vegetables because that’s what I had on hand. It was the perfect amount for 1 pound of meat. Once vegetables are thawed and integrated into the meat mixture, TASTE it! I found that I did add some more salt and pepper to amp up the flavor a little bit.
Once you’re happy with the flavors, transfer the meat mixture to a 7 x 11″ pyrex dish.
To finish the potato topping, I added 1/2 stick of butter, approx 1/3 cup milk, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. For fun, I threw in a little parmesan cheese, but this is definitely optional. I add the milk sparingly at first until the texture is right, because it’s tough to re-thicken potatoes! I used an immersion blender to puree this mixture, but you can easily use a potato masher if you don’t have that equipment available!
Once you’re happy with the flavor & texture of your mashed potatoes, transfer them to top the meat & vegetable mixture. Spread evenly over the top and transfer to your preheated oven.
Bake for 25-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven until the potato topping has begun to turn brown and may have a slight crisp to it.
Yum! Top with a little chopped parsley to garnish and you have yourself a delicious, savory Shepherd’s Pie!
If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think! 🙂 If you’re not feeling so much cooking, try out my Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers that you could also make with leftovers!
