Guinness Shepherd's Pie (Lamb) OR Cottage Pie (Beef)

Welcome to The Storied Recipe! This Guinness Shepherds Pie recipe (or Cottage Pie, if you use ground beef) came from my podcast guest, Anita Parris Soule - her father, actually. Make sure you listen to her episode, A Complicated Father's Day while you make her dad's rich and creamy Irish Shepherd's Pie. 

As a mom of 4 hungry boys (3 are teenagers!), I love this hearty dish of ground lamb meat (or ground beet), healthy vegetables, and flavorful sauce, all topped with a creamy mashed potato crust!

In Anita's episode, she shares that to make the BEST shepherd's pie, you need to add one secret ingredient.... And you've guessed why this is named Guinness Shepherds Pie 😉 

The amazing thing about this hearty pie is that it contains all you need for a meal in just one dish. However, if you're making this for a large crowd or dinner party and need ideas to serve alongside this casserole, make sure you hit 37 Side Dishes for Shepherd's Pie. Also, if you're preparing for a St Patrick's Day celebration, definitely pair this with these beautiful green-spiraled Pesto Rolls from Danielle Ellis, bread expert and judge of the World Bread Awards. 

Listen to Anita's Story

Anita says this about her dish. Tune in below to hear more about her amazing father.

This is *the* dish of my childhood. My dad made so many wonderful recipes, but if I had to choose just one that reminded me of him the most, it would have to be his Shepherd's Pie. The act of chopping the veggies and getting everything in order to make this dish reminds me of him so much. I watched him and helped him countless times. It took me some time to be able to cook this again after he died. Who knew carrot peels and onion skins could conjure up such nostalgia and sentiment? I write more about my dad and this dish in the blog post. There are also a few links in the post to more "journal entry" type blog posts I wrote after my father passed away.

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Ingredients

Best Potatoes?

• If mashing the potatoes like Anita's recipe calls for, use Yukon Gold - the softest, most buttery potatoes around
• Some recipes recommend russet potatoes. These work better if you're ricing your potatoes instead, as russets are firmer
• You'll add lots of delicious things like sour cream, butter, and bay leaf to make the topping extra creamy

Shepherd's Pie vs Cottage Pie 

• Traditional Shepherd's Pie recipes call for ground lamb
• Cottage Pie is just "Hamburger Shepherd's Pie" - it's identical, except with ground beef in place of ground lamb
• Choose whatever you'd like for this recipe

Guinness Gravy

• Anita's father knew this recipe would go to the next level with an earthy flavor complementing the lamb or beef
• Anita's father called for 1/2 cup coffee or Guinness Stout to provide that extra layer of depth
• Guinness Stout is a more traditional approach to this classic Irish dish

Vegetable Mixture

• You'll use onions, celery, carrots, and peas
• This recipe also calls for tomato paste
• You'll want to keep the total volume of vegetables the same, but within that parameter, feel free to adjust your choice or proportions of vegetables. Some recipes call for green beans. 

Fresh Herbs

• Rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves give this rich & hearty casserole a lift and an amazing layer of fresh flavor
• Save a few to garnish the top of the potatoes

Instructions

1. Prepare Potatoes:
   • Boil, drain, and mash potatoes
   • Add butter, cream cheese, milk, salt, and pepper
2. Cook Meat Filling:
   • Brown beef in a medium pot, add vegetables and spices
   • Mix in tomato paste, flour, stout beer, stock, and sauce
   • Simmer until thickened.
3. Assemble:
   • Layer the meat mixture in the baking dish
   • Add peas if desired
   • Spread mashed potatoes on top
4. Bake:
   • Bake until lightly golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes

Substitutions

• Make sure you use the Guinness made in Ireland (instead of the United States) - It's called "Foreign Guinness" and has a higher alcohol content and tastes like the Guinness you would find in the UK.
• Use a dark ale or stout, if you don't have Guinness on hand. 
• If beer flavor is not for you, use coffee, like Anita's father 
• If you're short on time, use boxed mashed potatoes over the real thing

Variations

Shepherd's Pie is a classic comfort food that can be made in multiple ways. Here are a few variations:

Riced potatoes - Some recipes call for putting potatoes through a ricer instead of mashing. 

Gluten-Free Shepherds Pie - This recipe is already SO CLOSE to gluten free! Just leave out flour when making the gravy. You can use cornstarch as an alternative, or simply add a little of the mashed potatoes to the sauce for a really easy option. 

Venison, Ground Turkey, Ground Pork, or Ground Chicken Shepherds Pie - Simply swap out the proteins. For the ground turkey or ground chicken, consider adding a little extra broth as those meats tend to be a little drier than the beef.

Cheesy Cottage Pie OR Tater Tot Shepherds Pie - Sprinkle a layer of cheddar or American cheese over the meat mixture, then top with a layer of tater tots.

Dressed Up Shepherds Pie - Serving in individual dishes and/or use a piping bag to top the pie with decorative pops of mashed potatoes

Storage

Can you freeze Shepherd's Pie?

• Technically, you can, but the potatoes will get runny upon defrosting. 
• Instead, I'd suggest making the meat mixture and freezing that. 
• On the day you want to eat your, make the mashed potatoes fresh. Add the mixture to a casserole dish

Top Tip

• That delicious rich, hearty meat and gravy filling can boil up and around the edges of the mashed potatoes. Consider putting foil in the bottom of your oven or placing the dishes on a large baking sheet in case of spills.

Pairing

Check out this round-up that I created for the 47 Best Sides For Shepherd's Pie!

Equipment

• Potato peeler
• Large pot
• Colander
• Hand mixer OR potato masher
• Skillet
• Casserole baking dish
• Rubber spatula
• Baking sheet

More British Recipes

Recipe

Guinness Shepherd's or Cottage Pie

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4.7 from 3 reviews

• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

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Description

Hearty Shepherd's Pie made with lamb or beef, fresh herbs, delicious vegetables, and 1/2 cup of a special ingredient - Guinness Stout.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Filling

• 2 lbs Ground lamb, beef, or venison (see notes)
• 1 medium Yellow or white onion, finely minced
• 2 stalks Celery, finely diced
• 1 large Carrot, or two small/medium carrots, finely diced
• 1 or 2 Bay leaves
• 2 -3 cloves fresh Garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 1 cup Guinness Beer or wine - whatever you have open
• 1/2 cup brewed Coffee (optional)
• 3 cups Chicken or beef broth
• 1 sprig Fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped (optional)
• a few Springs fresh thyme, leaves removed and finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons Tomato paste (if I'm out of tomato paste I just omit it. No big deal)
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste (the salt will depend greatly on the saltiness of your broth, so just taste and adjust as needed)
• 1 cup Frozen peas (optional)

For the potatoes:

• 2 1/2 - 3 lbs (about 6) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
• 1 stick Butter
• 4 ounces Cream cheese
• 1/2 cup to 1 cup Milk (you might not need the whole cup)
• 3 whole cloves of Garlic, peeled
• 2 Bay leaves
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the topping (optional):

• 1 cup grated, really sharp White cheddar

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Potatoes

1. First, get your potatoes going. Add your peeled, chopped potatoes, whole peeled garlic cloves, and bay leaves to a large pot of generously salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes until very, very tender. (you can get the meat mixture cooking while you're waiting).
2. Once potatoes are tender, drain in a colander, remove bay leaves but leave the garlic, add potatoes back to the pot, and add butter and cream cheese. Let sit until the butter and cream cheese soften a bit.
3. Then, with a hand mixer or potato masher, mix or mash until all potatoes are mashed. My dad always used a hand mixer and made the creamiest mashed potatoes. Then, add milk in stages while mashing until you reach the desired consistency. You want a nice soft mash, but not so soupy you won't be able to scoop it out later. ½ to ¾ cup milk should be plenty. Taste potatoes for salt, and add salt and pepper to taste. Usually a teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper are sufficient, but taste your food! It should taste the way you want it to taste!

Meat Filling

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ground beef until most of the pink is gone, about 10 minutes. Then, add carrot, celery, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, and season with a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook this mixture for about 10 minutes. If your beef is really fatty, scoop out excess fat. This is optional and really depends on your meat choice.
2. Next, add tomato paste and stir to combine. Then sprinkle flour over the meat mixture and stir until you don't see white anymore. Add wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce, and coffee if using and cook for about 15-20 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom. The mixture will thicken. It should be a thick, gravy-like consistency.

Assembly

1. Either assemble your Shepherd's Pie in the dish you've cooked your meat mixture in or spray a 2-quart casserole baking dish with non-stick spray. Transfer the meat to the baking dish and spread it into an even layer. If using peas, add them now. Just an even layer on top will do.
2. Next, add potatoes. I place large spoonfuls all around the top of the meat mixture, then I use a rubber spatula to spread it out, almost like frosting a cake, making sure to seal the edges. Sometimes I make too many potatoes. If you have this problem just put them in a dish and refrigerate them for another time. Having too many mashed potatoes is never a problem in my book.
3. Now, if you really want to take it over the top, and if you have an uncontrollable passion for melted, bubbly cheese like I do, add a layer of cheese to the top. My dad did not do this.
4. Place the casserole dish on a rimmed sheet tray in case it bubbles over, and place in a preheated oven until the cheese bubbles and browns a bit. It should take about 20 minutes, but keep an eye on it. Take it out when it looks golden brown and bubbly.
5. Enjoy!

Notes

• This can be just a two-pan meal, meaning you'll assemble the Shepherd's Pie in the same dish you cook the meat mixture in. So your only other pan will be your potato pan. If you do this, just make sure you start out with a nice big skillet or Dutch oven (my dad used a Dutch oven a lot for his, rarely did he transfer to a casserole dish).
• Something else my dad did was to sometimes add about ½ cup of brewed coffee to the meat mixture. It adds a richness in flavor and color, but it's totally optional. I use this trick in my Pot Roast too.
• If you choose to omit the alcohol, I might add a splash of vinegar just for a touch of acidity, maybe two tablespoons, and I'd probably choose red wine vinegar or malt vinegar.
• Shepherd's pie is classically made with lamb, which my dad used often, but he also used beef if that's what we had (I know this is called cottage pie but we never called it that), sometimes he even made it with venison or other wild game. Lamb is obviously traditional; Shepherd's = those who herd sheep; lamb = young sheep. I have made it with lamb and love it, I've even used ground bison just for fun, but I usually use ground beef or a mixture of lamb and beef. You can use whatever ground meat you want, even ground turkey or chicken if that's your thing.
• Some people add corn and peas to their Shepherd's Pie; feel free to do that.
• Make sure to listen to Anita's episode A Complicated Father's Day while you make her Shepherd's Pie!

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Beef Dishes, Main Dish
• Cuisine: Irish

Nutrition

• Calories: 620
• Sugar: 4
• Sodium: 732
• Fat: 49
• Saturated Fat: 25
• Carbohydrates: 18
• Fiber: 2
• Protein: 26
• Cholesterol: 145