Approximate cooking time: 45 minutes
Tools:
1 medium to large pot
1 large cast iron pan
Cutting board
Knife
Spatula
Small bowl
Wooden spoon
Fork/whisk
Strainer
Ingredients:
Ground Beef - 1 pound
1 Pound triple mix (a mix of beef, pork and bacon) - alternatively, you can use 1 pound of ground pork/beef + 1/4 cup of chopped bacon
12 Red skin potatoes
Onion - 1 medium sweet
Carrot - 1 medium sized
Mushrooms - 3-4 button/cremini
Green peas - 1/3 cup, I used frozen
Marjoram - 1 Tbsp dried
Spoonful of lard/oil
Salt and pepper to taste
An egg
Splash of water
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 375'F.
Dice potatoes. Place the potatoes in the pot with some water and a sprinkle of salt, then bring to a boil. While the potatoes are cooking, place a spoonful of lard or ghee in your cast iron pan and turn it up to medium heat.
Note: if you are cooking with bacon and not triple mix, ensure you chop and cook the bacon first before proceeding. You'll want to cook your pieces of bacon for about 6-8 minutes, until they are lightly browned and then set aside. You can use the bacon fat to cook your meat...
Add triple mix or meat to the heated pan, stirring occasionally. While it is cooking, take time to cut your vegetables into small bite size pieces, this should take you no more than eight to ten minutes.
The meat should be almost cooked through at this point and the potatoes will be reaching boil. Adjust the temperature on the potato pot and allow them to continue to boil and to cook through.
Add the vegetables to the pan and cook until they are translucent. If you cooked the bacon separately, this would be a good time to add it into the mix.
Once the meat and vegetables are cooked and well combined, reduce the heat to low and check your potatoes. Your utensil should be able to go right through the potatoes. When they are ready, strain and place them back into the pot. Proceed to mash them with the fork or use a masher. Once they are all mashed up, add some salt and butter and mix until they are well combined.
If you are using a cast iron pan, like me, spread your meat and vegetable medley evenly across the pan. Using your spatula, spread the mashed potatoes on top of the meat and place the cast iron in the oven, which is preheated by now. Set the timer for 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, crack an egg and add a splash of water into the bowl, then using a fork or whisk, mix them together, like making scrambled eggs. This will be your 'egg wash'.
After ten minutes, carefully take the pie out of the oven and brush the egg wash on the surface of the pie. This will give your shepherd's pie a beautiful golden crust on top. Place it back in the oven and after 5 minutes it should be golden and delicious.
** Please note you can add flour or corn starch to the vegetable medley to thicken it for a creamier filling. Both versions are delicious!
Our go to- serve with a side salad and hot sauce.
