This is a lovely Whole30/paleo take on a classic Irish dish. If you are looking for a healthy family-friendly dish that is savory and comforting, look no further than this delicious shepherd’s pie.
My husband, who is Italian, likes to claim that Italian cooking is the best in the world. Now, while I may agree, I would never let him know that!! With the cultural culinary gauntlet thrown, I felt that I had to prove to our son that his Irish side also had a strong culinary heritage.
So, I set my sights (and google search) on a traditional Irish recipe that was kid friendly. Voila! Shepherd’s pie it was! The original recipe, found here from The Hungry Mama, calls for a lot of balsamic vinegar (5 tablespoons!!), which I found a bit too sweet and way too overpowering. I used 2-3 tbsp in my version. If you are looking to cut back on red meat, feel free to use ground chicken, turkey, or pork. Just be sure to get the fattier versions so that your shepherd’s pie doesn’t come out too dry.
I used a fork to create beautiful spirals that add a touch of elegance to this classic dish. It was quite impressive once it came out of the oven. Beautiful spirals created easily with a fork. Who knew??
I hope you and your family enjoy this shepherd’s pie as much as we did!
Pin this recipe!
Shepherds Pie
Print RecipeIngredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 10-12 golden potatoes, peeled
- 3 tbsp ghee
- 3 tsp coconut milk
- 3 tbsp almond milk (more if you need)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 cups celery, chopped
- 3 cups mushrooms, wiped with dry towel and chopped
- 1.5 tbsp compliant tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup chicken broth or bone broth
- 2-3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp fresh thyme, minced (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1.5 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp dried) *optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 450.
Fill stock pot with potatoes and cover potatoes with cold water. Be sure to fill with water to about 1 inch over the potatoes. Bring to a boil.
Season the ground beef with salt and pepper and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
While beef is browning, boil potatoes until tender (25-35 minutes). They are done once you can easily pierce with a fork.
Once beef is cooked through, drain excess fat and set aside. In the same skillet, add 1 tbsp ghee. When ghee is shimmering, add carrots, celery, mushroom, and onion. Cover and cook until veggies are soft and onion is translucent (about 5 minutes). Stir a few times.
Once potatoes are done, drain the water and mash slightly. Add 2 tbsp of ghee, coconut milk , almond milk, salt & pepper to taste and continue to mash until somewhat stiff.
Once veggies are softened, add tomato paste and garlic. Stir for about 2 minutes.
Add chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, herbs, and additional salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 4 minutes, until thickened slightly.
Once thickened, add the beef to the vegetable mixture and stir well.
Transfer beef and veggie mixture to an oven safe dish.
Top with mashed potatoes. Use a fork to add spirals.
Cook in oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
3 Comments
Whole30 January Jumpstart 2020 (Week #3) | Make n Curate
January 30, 2020 at 11:36 am[…] Dinner: Shepherd’s Pie […]
Kristy Weiss
February 10, 2020 at 10:56 pmThis was really good. I made it as is but going forward will reduce the amount of potatoes. Maybe even do 1/2 cauliflower and 4 potatoes.
egrant.salvi
February 11, 2020 at 1:02 pmSo glad you liked it, Kristy! I love your idea to lighten it up with combo mashed cauliflower and potatoes!! That would be great! Thanks for commenting!