Castles and cobblestone. Emerald and pots of gold. Fiddles and dancing. No I’m not describing a magical fairytale, I’m talking about the enchanting country that is, Ireland.
Ireland is one of my top two places I’ve visited and how can it not be with all the incredible scenery and ancient towns? You can climb the slippery basalt columns created by the mythological giants in Northern Ireland’s, Giant’s Causeway. You can take in the breathtaking views of the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare. You can recreate your favourite scene from the movie “P.S. I Love You” and get lost in Wicklow National Park (no? Just me?). You can pour the ‘perfect pint’ at the Guinness Storehouse and eat hearty Irish food in Galway. And of course, a trip to Ireland would not be complete without trying to understand the accents in Cork and getting completely lost in the colourful streets, climbing to the top of the castle and kissing The Blarney Stone.
Not only is Ireland home to Irish dancing and leprechaun’s (did I mention there is a leprechaun museum? Do it!), but it’s home to my favourite comfort food – shepherd’s pie! I had been searching for the perfect place to enjoy my shepherd’s pie and let me tell you, the one I had at The Front Door in Galway did not disappoint! Now, I grew up eating shepherd’s pie (actually cottage pie with beef) but this was like no other. It was so warming and the potatoes were oh so creamy – I still dream about it! I left in a food coma and with a fully burnt mouth because I just could not wait to dig in, but it was completely worth it.
With St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I had to recreate this delicious dish. Traditionally, it’s not made with parsnips but I wanted to stretch it a bit further and add more veggies, so why not. This is the perfect dish to get you through a day and night full of Guinness and more Guinness. Ireland is the most beautiful place filled with incredible people and I can’t wait to go back one day to eat allllll the shepherd’s pie! Now seriously, go make this!
Yield: Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
- 1½-1¾ lbs ground lamb
- 6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into large pieces
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 parsnip, finely diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme (about 7-8 sprigs)
- 1 tsp flour
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ cup low sodium beef broth, divided
- ⅓ cup milk (I used skim to lighten it up because it’s what I had but any kind will work)
- 1 tbsp butter + a few pats
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt for meat + ½ tsp for veggies + ¼ tsp for potatoes
- ½ tsp pepper for meat + ¼ tsp for veggies + ¼ for potatoes
- 1 tbsp oil for cooking + splash more
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375°. Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Add milk and mash the potatoes. Add in 1 tablespoon of butter, the salt and the pepper for the potatoes. Mix together and set aside while we prepare the meat mixture.
Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a large sauté pan. On medium heat, sauté carrot, parsnip, ½ of the onion, ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper for 10 minutes, until softened. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
In that same pan, add in a small splash more of oil to cook the lamb. Add in the remaining ½ of the onion and lamb to the pan and sauté for about 10 minutes. Remove most of the excess fat/liquid from the pan with a spoon (I removed about ¼ cup). Add in the flour, thyme, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of pepper and cook for a few minutes. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, peas and broth. Mix the meat mixture with the vegetables and transfer to a baking pan big enough for about a 1 inch layer of meat.
Spread the potatoes on top of the meat and add a few small pats of butter randomly on top of the potatoes. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes and then crank the heat to 450° for 10 minutes to brown the top. Enjoy with a cold pint. Sláinte!
