Martie Duncan's Easy St. Patrick's Day Food to Feed a Crowd: Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is a great, inexpensive recipe for St. Patrick's Day or any time you need something comforting to feed a big crowd. Ground meat, potatoes, onions.... the ingredients are simple, the prep time is minimal and you can bake it off right before guests arrive. With the ground beef and potatoes, your picky eaters will never notice the carrots or peas hiding in the filling. I normally use the ground beef for this recipe but made it once with the traditional ground lamb and it was fantastic.

TRADITONAL SHEPHERD'S PIE

Makes 4-6 small ramekins or 1 medium casserole

1/2 T. olive oil

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (or use ground lamb if you prefer- or a combination of both)

1 t. kosher salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1 small yellow onion, diced small (about 1 1/4 cup)

2 carrots, diced very small

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

3 T. tomato paste

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup frozen English peas

1 t. fresh Thyme leaves, minced fine

1 t. fresh rosemary leaves, minced fine

For the mashed potato topping:

2-3 large potatoes, peeled and diced small

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided n half

1 egg yolk

1/3 cup whole milk

1/2 t. kosher salt

1/4 t. black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350

Dice the potatoes. Rinse in some cool water. Fill a pot with water. Add the potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just fork tender. Drain well. Use a fork to mash the potatoes while they are hot and allow to cool slightly. Add the milk, salt, and pepper. Using a hand mixer or any method you prefer, whip the potatoes until they are fluffy. Add the egg yolk and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Reserve.

In a large skillet or pan, heat up the olive oil. Add the ground beef and brown. Add the onion and carrots. Brown until they are softened, about 3-4 minutes. Drain off excess fat if there is any. Add the tomato paste and brown for about 2 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and cook that for about 1 minute. Add the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits of flavor on the bottom of your pan. Add the thyme and the parsley. Cook until the wine is mostly evaporated. Stir in the chicken stock. Cook 3-4 minutes more. The mixture should be quite thick and paste like. If it is not, cook and stir until most of the liquid is cooked out. Check the seasoning- you may need a bit more salt and pepper at this point. I often put a dash of Tabasco or a pinch of cayenne pepper into mine also...

Spray your ramekin or casserole dish with non-stick spray if you want a shortcut. I prefer to lightly brush the ramekin with a little olive oil and then dust it with some of the grated Parmesan cheese. Fill the ramekin 2/3 full with the meat mixture. Top with the potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.  Use a fork to pierce the top so the juice will bubble up through the potatoes. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly hot.

Irish Beer Cheese FondueMORE ST. PATRICK'S DAY RECIPES FROM MARTIE KNOWS PARTIES:

HOW TO MAKE GREEN BEER

EASY RECIPES FOR COLCANNON AND IRISH SODA BREAD

IRISH WHISKEY LEMONADE

IRISH COFFEE

IRISH BEER CHEESE FONDUE

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