Last night, I was too hungry after our weekly baby swimming lessons. Wandering in the the supermarket in search of an idea, I saw a pack of minced meat which immediately made me think of a good shepherd’s pie. Shepherd’s pie it is then. But it had to be a quick one because with a baby exhausted from swimming I couldn’t afford to spend too much time in the kitchen. I added two mashed potatoes packets to my trolley and voila. In less than 20 minutes, my quick shepherd’s pie was in the oven, just in time to read a story to my little girl. And how was it? Absolutely delicious!
Quick Shepherd's pie
Prep time: 20mn
Cooking time: 45mn
Serves 4 to 6
Cooking time: 45mn
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 500g of good 15-20% fat ground beef
- 1 large carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 shallot
- olive oil, salt, pepper
- 20cl stock of you choice (2 bouillon cube dissolved in 20cl of boiling water for me)
- 1kg of good mashed potatoes*
- grated cheese of your choice (for me cheddar/red Leicester mix, hence the orange color; you could go for mimolette too)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Peel the carrot, onion and shallot and cut them into large pieces. For those who are no really patient like me, quickly blitz everything in a food processor to obtain small chunks. Otherwise you can just cut everything in very small chunks with a knife but good luck!
- Heat a large frying pan and fry the carrot-onion-shallot mix with a little olive oil for 2 minutes over medium heat. Then add the minced meat and cook over medium-high heat until almost cooked through (no more red bits visible). Finally, add the broth and mix. Season with salt and pepper (do not over season, the stock is already salty.
- Spread the meat in a large gratin dish. Add on top of the prepared mashed potatoes and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle 2 handful of grated cheese.
- Bake for 40-45mn on a rack place in the middle of the oven until the cheese is golden brown. Enjoy immediately with a green salad on the side. You can prepare this quick shepherd's pie the day before and sprinkle the cheese and bake it on the day you are eating it.
Notes
What mashed potatoes should I use for a quick and delicious shepherd's pie?: In London, I use the Ultimate Mash Potatoes from Mark & Spencer, which is made with real cream. Otherwise, you can also use frozen mashed potatoes but I recommend adding a little cream and olive oil if your pack only contains potatoes. Instant potato puree works fine too, but make sure to make it with milk.
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