Shepherd’s Pie, Cottage Pie, Hunter’s Pie, or Goatherd’s Pie?
James thought he had made shepherd’s pie for dinner. As we were discussing our meal while we ate, we came to the realization that shepherd’s pie gets its name from the lamb it is traditionally made with…and James had used venison to make our dish. So, if it’s not shepherd’s pie, then what is it? Upon further investigation, we learned that cottage pie is traditionally made with beef and the meal we were eating was called hunter’s pie because of the venison. If, in the future we make the same dish with goat meat, then it would be…goatherd pie! It’s one of those things you don’t realize you don’t know, until, well, you know! And now, you too, will know! So, here is a delicious recipe for “insert type of meat” pie. What kind of meat pie will you make????
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 pounds lean ground meat (we used venison this time)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 ½ cups water, or as needed
- 1 (12 ounce) package frozen peas and carrots (we used peas, carrots, corn, and beans this time)
- 2 ½ pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped
- ½ cup butter
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup milk
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place olive oil and butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once heated, add onion and ground meat. Brown the meat, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes.
- Add flour and stir until incorporated. Mix in salt, black pepper, rosemary, paprika, cinnamon, ketchup, and garlic. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook and stir until thick, about 5 minutes.
- Remove meat mixture from heat. Stir in mixed vegetables until combined.
- Spread meat mixture into the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- Place potatoes in a large pan of salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to the pan.
- Add butter, cream cheese, and mozzarella cheese to the potatoes. Mash until combined and potatoes are smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Whisk together eggs and milk in a small bowl. Stir into the mashed potatoes.
- Dollop the mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture. Then, spread the potatoes evenly. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the potatoes.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and begins to brown and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.
Our recipe is an adaption of a Irish Shepherd’s pie recipe from All Recipes. You can find the original recipe here.