Lamb makes it a shepherd’s pie, beef makes it a cottage pie.
Ingredients
for beef or lamb mixture
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 diced onion
2 lb lean ground lamb or lean ground beef
⅓ cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp paprika
⅛ tsp cinnamon
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary
3 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp ketchup
2½ cups water or beef broth (use more or less to adjust thickness as needed)
12 oz bag frozen peas and carrots, thawed, drained well
for the potato topping
2½ lb Yukon gold potatoes
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne
¼ cup cream cheese
4 oz Kerrygold Dubliner Irish cheddar
1 egg yolk beaten with 2 Tbsp milk
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°.
Melt butter with olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and lamb. Break apart lamb or beef with a wooden spoon and sauté until browned and liquid has evaporated; there will be a light fond in the pot. Add flour and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add salt, pepper, rosemary, paprika, cinnamon, ketchup, and garlic; stir to combine. Add water or broth and stir until thickened, about five or six minutes. Turn off the heat and add vegetables, thoroughly combine. Transfer mixture to a 9×13 casserole, spread smoothly, and set aside.
Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain thoroughly and add butter, cayenne, salt, cream cheese, and Irish cheddar. Thoroughly incorporate everything with a potato masher then add beaten egg and mix together until smooth.
Place large spoonfuls of potatoes onto casserole mixture then even it out with a fork been careful not to mix meat and vegetables with potatoes.
Place casserole onto a foil-lined baking sheet and transfer to a preheated oven to bake for about 30 minutes or until liquid is bubbling and potatoes are browned on the edges. When done, remove and allow to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.