Weeknight Shepherd's Pie with Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
A cozy oven-baked dinner with a savory ground beef, carrot, and pea filling in a rich gravy, topped with fluffy cheddar mashed potatoes and baked until golden at the edges. Ground lamb works too if you want the traditional version.
1 hr
6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds Lean Ground Beef
- 2 Carrots
- 3 cloves of Garlic
- 1 cup Peas
- 2 ½ pounds Russet Potato
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 2 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
- ½ cup Milk (Whole)
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter
- 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Low-Sodium Beef Broth
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
Directions
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with cold water, and add the salt for the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, about 15 minutes.
- While the potatoes cook, heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Spoon off excess fat.
- Add the onion and carrots and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 minute.
- Sprinkle the flour over the meat and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the broth and Worcestershire, then add the thyme, pepper, and the salt for the filling. Simmer, stirring, until thick like gravy, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the peas and turn off the heat.
- Drain the potatoes and mash them with the butter, warm milk, and the cheddar for the potatoes until smooth.
- If your pan is not oven-safe, move the filling to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the filling all the way to the edges, rough up the top with a fork, and sprinkle with the cheddar for topping.
- Bake until the filling bubbles at the edges and the top is lightly golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let it rest 5 minutes before serving.
