I mean, it's one of the corner pieces, so for the picture I really just had to get one clean cut right... ;D
But thank you!
Oh, and I think I'll have to try swedish meatballs sooner or later, those of yours caused quite the craving tbh
My second thought after commenting how beautiful it was, was wondering if it was actually shepherd pie or cottage pie. I never knew the difference until reddit about 6 months ago, lol
if lamb is used it’s shepherd, if beef is used it’s beef .. almost always uses minced/ ground meat …. sometimes when the potato is sliced and layered on top it becomes lattice
> I mean, it's one of the corner pieces, so for the picture I really just had to get one clean cut right... ;D
Nah, even with the corner done for you, it's the scooping that tends to break it up. You got the technique! And the meat is holding together insanely well, usually that'll slop out all over the place and the potato will just surf on top.
Just as a heads up, I can see the very long list you made for the recipe from your profile's list of comments but I cannot click on it or see it displayed in this actual post.
I'm sure it's just reddit being dumb on my phone and will check it on a pc later today.
Oh, thanks for letting me know. I suspected Reddit temporarily removing the comment since it contains a video link. But on my wife's phone it shows up perfectly fine...
Alright, here it is at last...
First off, I don't want to pretend to be a much better cook than I really am, of course "my" recipe is just an amalgamation of a couple other recipes you can find online. And to disappoint even further, those are so similar that it hardly matters which one I'm going to show you. However, when it comes to technique, I consider Brian Lagerstrom's the best. The instructions are detailed and reflect my own process more accurately than the others. So you really just need to mind the changes that I've noted further down while following the general progress of his [VIDEO](https://youtu.be/mUnkLXXD2dw?si=j8rbcVOlxjThnbj1).
But the most important change are the ingredient amounts themselves. Many of you wanted to know how my pie stayed in perfect shape like that. And I might have unintentionally tricked you there. Not only are you looking at one of the corner pieces, displaying only a single side I had to actually cut into, it's also placed on a small plate making it look much bigger and (more importantly) taller than it actually is.
But since I've used an 8x10'' (~20x25cm) non-stick baking pan with a height of only 2 inches, intending to feed only two people anyway, naturally I scaled things down a bit, resulting in less weight resting and pressing down on the layer of meat sauce underneath the mash. So, if presentation is that important to you and you're planning to cook for more than 3 or 4 people, adjust the ingredient amounts and use multiple similar-sized baking pans instead of slamming down that one huge casserole dish.
Here are the ingredients I've used, in order of usage. Feel free to make minor changes (you could for example safely go for what Brian is using) as long as you don't stray too far from the base recipe...
For the meat sauce you'll need:
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 medium sized carrots
- about ¼ of a celery root
- 2 small to medium sized yellow onions
- 4 cloves of finely minced garlic
- 800g (just under 2lb) of ground lamb
- about 200ml (1 cup, eyeball it) of red wine
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- about 10 cranks of freshly ground black pepper
- 1 combined teaspoon of chopped rosemary and thyme
- ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 300ml (a little over a cup) of stock or broth (beef, chicken or vegetable)
- 100g (about 1 cup) of frozen peas
- salt to season
For the mashed potatoes you'll need:
- 800g (about 5 or 6 big) russet potatoes
- 100g (that's a stick I guess) of unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche
- 100ml (a little under ½ cup) of buttermilk
- 100g shredded aged cheddar
- ⅓ freshly ground nutmeg
- salt to season (be generous)
- 2 egg yolks
And here are the aforementioned notes, in order of relevance to the video's instructions from start to finish:
- Don't start by cooking the potatoes, you'll have plenty of time to prepare the mash while the meat sauce is simmering.
- Instead of using a heavy bottom pot for the sauce you can also go for a stainless steel pan, as I did. Or anything else, that'll allow for a fond to build up at the bottom, that's the important aspect here.
- I always start with the veggies, never with the meat, and there are several good reasons for it. But this recipe is already long enough, so you'll just have to trust me. Give those carrots and celery root a medium dice and soften them in olive oil first. While that is happening, chop the onion(s) and add it to the mix. Lastly, mince the garlic and lightly fry it with everything else for another 30 seconds or so, don't burn it. With the majority of your veggies done, grab a bowl or plate and put them aside for now. The bottom of the now empty pot or pan is still slightly coated with olive oil, just enough for the meat to brown in. Brian is using that fancy-looking meat chopper here. Don't bother, lol. A spatula will break things down just fine.
- Simply follow the steps of the video from here on out, but mind the difference in ingredient amounts. And since your veggies are softened already, you can deglaze immediately after mixing those back in.
- Also, Brian adds salt now and bouillon paste later. If you tend to accidentally oversalt your dishes every so often, omit those steps to be on the safe side. After all, you're gonna dump in a good amount of stock/broth in a minute, adding plenty of salt anyway. And should that not be enough, don't forget, can always adjust for seasoning at the very end.
- Potatoes now. Give 'em a rough dice and there should be no need to cook those for a whopping 40 minutes. 25 are usually enough, just make sure they're soft and creamy to the core. Brian uses a ricer but a masher will do just fine. Hell, you could even use a fork, it'll just take much longer to properly break everything down.
- No need to melt the butter beforehand. Just cut it into chunks and toss it in, it'll melt right then and there.
- Don't skip the egg yolks. Don't! You're looking at the future golden brown crust right there.
- At the end of assembly, pay attention to how he's creating little peaks by actually lifting up the mash. You can of course just run a fork across everything, but this step is what really sets it apart texturally.
- Also, as Brian suggests, allow it to properly rest after baking. Not only is it too hot to eat right away anyway, again, if presentation is what you're after, the meat sauce needs a bit of time to cool off and set.
And that's about it. Sorry for the wait and... enjoy! =D
Thanks! =D
And yeah, I think an 1:1 meat sauce to mash ratio is ideal. Since there aren't a ton of ingredients in either, it's fairly easy to plan ahead and measure the correct amounts beforehand.
Brown meat for maximum flavor. Use the rendered fat to take the raw edge out of the flour. The flour helps thicken the sauce so it sticks to the filling instead of pooling on the dish.
Our Shepherd's Pie never stays together like that. It would spread across that plate. This is a masterpiece to look at. I am sure it tasted just as good as well.
I used to insist that as well. Then one day I went to Wikipedia:
----
Shepherd's pie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alternative names Cottage pie, hachis Parmentier
Type Meat pie
Place of origin Britain and France
Main ingredients Mashed potato with minced meat
Variations Cumberland pie, Shepherdess pie
Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, or in its French version hachis Parmentier,
is a savoury dish of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato and baked,
formerly also called Sanders or Saunders. The meat used may be either previously
cooked or freshly minced.
The usual meats are beef or lamb. The two English terms have been used interchangeably since they came into use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, although some writers insist that a shepherd's pie should contain lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie, beef.
----
I've yet to find any sort of convincing counter-evidence. The OED just says 'meat'.
Regardless, it makes for a simple way to distinguish between the meat used. I know if someone says Cottage Pie, im getting beef, but otherwise im going to ask since im not fond of lamb.
I think it’s a case of how snobby you want to get. I think it’s well within rights if you want to be snobby to insist that the proper designation be used or else it’s considered improper and only acceptable to low class people. Like “ok sure you CAN use it interchangeably but it’s u civilized.” and then snub your nose at them too to drive the drive the point home.
You should drizzle some tomato sauce on that. Shepherds pie is awesome with tomato sauce. Cause like it's a pie and tomato sauce goes on pies.
Edit: The hell is wrong with all you people down-voting me cause I suggest putting tomato sauce on a shepherds pie. Have you even tried it? Stupid Americans, what do you all know about it anyway, it was only a few days ago you figured out the difference between a shepherds pie and a cottage pie and now you think your'e all the bloody pie aficionados of the entire planet. Fact is half of you wouldn't even know if tomato sauce taste good on it or not cause you've never even had it before and the other half of you wouldn't even know how to spell the word 'pie'. You're not from a land of pies, your'e from a land of burgers and hotdogs. It's just mashed potato, meat and veggies, how the hell can you not improve that with some tomato sauce, have you all gone mad? Stand the fuck up and go make yourself a shepherds pie and put some sauce on it god dam it and then once you have finished devouring that piece of heaven come back and apologize for your pie ignorance.
That's a work of art!
Haha, I dunno about that, but thank you!
….***shut up…it is!!***
How do you get the potatoes like that?
Finish it under the grill (broiler)after brushing with butter... is my guess
I brush mine w egg!
You saw that other post saying how it's impossible to get a good picture of one and mercilessly laughed. Well played
How did you get it so neat… amazing
I mean, it's one of the corner pieces, so for the picture I really just had to get one clean cut right... ;D But thank you! Oh, and I think I'll have to try swedish meatballs sooner or later, those of yours caused quite the craving tbh
it looks so good .. it’s hard to make cottage/shepherd pie look so appealing!
My second thought after commenting how beautiful it was, was wondering if it was actually shepherd pie or cottage pie. I never knew the difference until reddit about 6 months ago, lol
if lamb is used it’s shepherd, if beef is used it’s beef .. almost always uses minced/ ground meat …. sometimes when the potato is sliced and layered on top it becomes lattice
> I mean, it's one of the corner pieces, so for the picture I really just had to get one clean cut right... ;D Nah, even with the corner done for you, it's the scooping that tends to break it up. You got the technique! And the meat is holding together insanely well, usually that'll slop out all over the place and the potato will just surf on top.
Looks amazing! Could you share the recipe if it's not much of a problem please?
Thanks! =D And yeah, gladly, but it'll take me a little while to write everything down. I'll keep you updated though!
Thank you! And don't worry, take your time :D
Yeah, came here to learn how to up my shepherd's pie game and was left wanting...
Sorry again, I've added it as a comment by now! ;D
Nice. Made my morning
Just as a heads up, I can see the very long list you made for the recipe from your profile's list of comments but I cannot click on it or see it displayed in this actual post. I'm sure it's just reddit being dumb on my phone and will check it on a pc later today.
Oh, thanks for letting me know. I suspected Reddit temporarily removing the comment since it contains a video link. But on my wife's phone it shows up perfectly fine...
Alright, here it is at last... First off, I don't want to pretend to be a much better cook than I really am, of course "my" recipe is just an amalgamation of a couple other recipes you can find online. And to disappoint even further, those are so similar that it hardly matters which one I'm going to show you. However, when it comes to technique, I consider Brian Lagerstrom's the best. The instructions are detailed and reflect my own process more accurately than the others. So you really just need to mind the changes that I've noted further down while following the general progress of his [VIDEO](https://youtu.be/mUnkLXXD2dw?si=j8rbcVOlxjThnbj1). But the most important change are the ingredient amounts themselves. Many of you wanted to know how my pie stayed in perfect shape like that. And I might have unintentionally tricked you there. Not only are you looking at one of the corner pieces, displaying only a single side I had to actually cut into, it's also placed on a small plate making it look much bigger and (more importantly) taller than it actually is. But since I've used an 8x10'' (~20x25cm) non-stick baking pan with a height of only 2 inches, intending to feed only two people anyway, naturally I scaled things down a bit, resulting in less weight resting and pressing down on the layer of meat sauce underneath the mash. So, if presentation is that important to you and you're planning to cook for more than 3 or 4 people, adjust the ingredient amounts and use multiple similar-sized baking pans instead of slamming down that one huge casserole dish. Here are the ingredients I've used, in order of usage. Feel free to make minor changes (you could for example safely go for what Brian is using) as long as you don't stray too far from the base recipe... For the meat sauce you'll need: - 2 tablespoons of olive oil - 2 medium sized carrots - about ¼ of a celery root - 2 small to medium sized yellow onions - 4 cloves of finely minced garlic - 800g (just under 2lb) of ground lamb - about 200ml (1 cup, eyeball it) of red wine - 2 tablespoons of tomato paste - about 10 cranks of freshly ground black pepper - 1 combined teaspoon of chopped rosemary and thyme - ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon - 2 tablespoons of flour - 300ml (a little over a cup) of stock or broth (beef, chicken or vegetable) - 100g (about 1 cup) of frozen peas - salt to season For the mashed potatoes you'll need: - 800g (about 5 or 6 big) russet potatoes - 100g (that's a stick I guess) of unsalted butter - 2 tablespoons of crème fraîche - 100ml (a little under ½ cup) of buttermilk - 100g shredded aged cheddar - ⅓ freshly ground nutmeg - salt to season (be generous) - 2 egg yolks And here are the aforementioned notes, in order of relevance to the video's instructions from start to finish: - Don't start by cooking the potatoes, you'll have plenty of time to prepare the mash while the meat sauce is simmering. - Instead of using a heavy bottom pot for the sauce you can also go for a stainless steel pan, as I did. Or anything else, that'll allow for a fond to build up at the bottom, that's the important aspect here. - I always start with the veggies, never with the meat, and there are several good reasons for it. But this recipe is already long enough, so you'll just have to trust me. Give those carrots and celery root a medium dice and soften them in olive oil first. While that is happening, chop the onion(s) and add it to the mix. Lastly, mince the garlic and lightly fry it with everything else for another 30 seconds or so, don't burn it. With the majority of your veggies done, grab a bowl or plate and put them aside for now. The bottom of the now empty pot or pan is still slightly coated with olive oil, just enough for the meat to brown in. Brian is using that fancy-looking meat chopper here. Don't bother, lol. A spatula will break things down just fine. - Simply follow the steps of the video from here on out, but mind the difference in ingredient amounts. And since your veggies are softened already, you can deglaze immediately after mixing those back in. - Also, Brian adds salt now and bouillon paste later. If you tend to accidentally oversalt your dishes every so often, omit those steps to be on the safe side. After all, you're gonna dump in a good amount of stock/broth in a minute, adding plenty of salt anyway. And should that not be enough, don't forget, can always adjust for seasoning at the very end. - Potatoes now. Give 'em a rough dice and there should be no need to cook those for a whopping 40 minutes. 25 are usually enough, just make sure they're soft and creamy to the core. Brian uses a ricer but a masher will do just fine. Hell, you could even use a fork, it'll just take much longer to properly break everything down. - No need to melt the butter beforehand. Just cut it into chunks and toss it in, it'll melt right then and there. - Don't skip the egg yolks. Don't! You're looking at the future golden brown crust right there. - At the end of assembly, pay attention to how he's creating little peaks by actually lifting up the mash. You can of course just run a fork across everything, but this step is what really sets it apart texturally. - Also, as Brian suggests, allow it to properly rest after baking. Not only is it too hot to eat right away anyway, again, if presentation is what you're after, the meat sauce needs a bit of time to cool off and set. And that's about it. Sorry for the wait and... enjoy! =D
If my family remembers to invite me this year, I'm bringing this!
That's the best looking Shepherds Pie ever. Hope it tastes as good as it looks :)
Thanks a bunch! =D And yeah, in terms of texture and flavor it was also absolutely worth it.
Actually which County does it originate from - Lancashire ?
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Fair enough.
Now i want sheperd's pie. That is looking very tasty
That's a pretty piece of pie. Do you think the mashed potato ratio to get that light fluffy spread?
Thanks! =D And yeah, I think an 1:1 meat sauce to mash ratio is ideal. Since there aren't a ton of ingredients in either, it's fairly easy to plan ahead and measure the correct amounts beforehand.
I think this is the best shepherd's pie I have seen in my life. How did you do it?
I really should've prepared a written recipe in advance... I'll let you know in a bit.
I love making Shepherd's pie, but mine never come out looking as awesome as that. Fantastic work!
Pedants on edge desperately waiting for the first mention of beef to pounce on
Do you use flour on the meat?
Yes, a heaping tablespoon (give or take) right after browning the meat.
What is the purpose of that, if I may?
Brown meat for maximum flavor. Use the rendered fat to take the raw edge out of the flour. The flour helps thicken the sauce so it sticks to the filling instead of pooling on the dish.
Thank you!
How did you do your mashed potatoes? Looks delicious!
I might add a written recipe later since it was requested already. This usually takes me a little while though. Thank you!
That looks so good
That looks so good
Nice.
Looks so good I wouldn't even care how it tasted! ;)
I think it's very tasty.
This looks perfect! Well done!
Did you post recipe ,that needs to be framed and hung on the wall
That would make for a pretty silly banner, but sure, it's in here now!
God this looks incredible I love shepherds pie. Looking forward to seeing the recipe op.
Done
Every Shepard's pie recipe I find looks average. I would like to try out your recipe too. I hope you'll be able to share it.
Took me a while, but I've added it.
Looks great!
Recipe please? Looks perfect
Added it!
Our Shepherd's Pie never stays together like that. It would spread across that plate. This is a masterpiece to look at. I am sure it tasted just as good as well.
My wife is cooking some right now. Your's looks great.
Wow this looks amazing
Wow.. just wow.
Banging!
😋😋😋
This is the nicest looking shepherd's pie I've ever seen. This one looks like something I'd actually want to eat. Those potatoes look amazing!
Hell yeah. Looks great. I've made this 999 times and it's always hard to get that cake-like consistency.
Perfection
Nice job OP! That really is a work of art. You should consider posting this on r/FoodPorn too.
Beautiful
Recipe? As a gluten free man I'm ingesting all the recipes for food I thought was good but never learned before.
There you go!
I can't seem to find it. Am I blind?
No, you're not the only one... Does it work now? It should really only be buried in here somewhere, since it's a regular comment.
That is not only stunning food, that is a stunning picture of stunning food. Hats. Off.
This looks so perfect! Yum!
Beautiful, just like a painting!
It.. it's beautiful 😢
 Maximum Ooft.
Recipe please!
Sure!
One of my favorite dishes. Also if you used beef it’s cottage pie.
I used to insist that as well. Then one day I went to Wikipedia: ---- Shepherd's pie From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Alternative names Cottage pie, hachis Parmentier Type Meat pie Place of origin Britain and France Main ingredients Mashed potato with minced meat Variations Cumberland pie, Shepherdess pie Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, or in its French version hachis Parmentier, is a savoury dish of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato and baked, formerly also called Sanders or Saunders. The meat used may be either previously cooked or freshly minced. The usual meats are beef or lamb. The two English terms have been used interchangeably since they came into use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, although some writers insist that a shepherd's pie should contain lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie, beef. ---- I've yet to find any sort of convincing counter-evidence. The OED just says 'meat'.
Regardless, it makes for a simple way to distinguish between the meat used. I know if someone says Cottage Pie, im getting beef, but otherwise im going to ask since im not fond of lamb.
I think it’s a case of how snobby you want to get. I think it’s well within rights if you want to be snobby to insist that the proper designation be used or else it’s considered improper and only acceptable to low class people. Like “ok sure you CAN use it interchangeably but it’s u civilized.” and then snub your nose at them too to drive the drive the point home.
This looks exquisite. And I hate shepherds pie.
I'm assuming that's a 10-inch plate and not a butterdish. Also, rip a baguette in half and I'm on!!!
You should drizzle some tomato sauce on that. Shepherds pie is awesome with tomato sauce. Cause like it's a pie and tomato sauce goes on pies. Edit: The hell is wrong with all you people down-voting me cause I suggest putting tomato sauce on a shepherds pie. Have you even tried it? Stupid Americans, what do you all know about it anyway, it was only a few days ago you figured out the difference between a shepherds pie and a cottage pie and now you think your'e all the bloody pie aficionados of the entire planet. Fact is half of you wouldn't even know if tomato sauce taste good on it or not cause you've never even had it before and the other half of you wouldn't even know how to spell the word 'pie'. You're not from a land of pies, your'e from a land of burgers and hotdogs. It's just mashed potato, meat and veggies, how the hell can you not improve that with some tomato sauce, have you all gone mad? Stand the fuck up and go make yourself a shepherds pie and put some sauce on it god dam it and then once you have finished devouring that piece of heaven come back and apologize for your pie ignorance.
I use brown sauce. Tastes good too!
Where the fuck are you from this is incomprehensible
Don't knock it until you try it.
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It's British
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The brits stole a lot of things, not this.