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| SHEPHERDS PIE (BRITISH) | |
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Before we start, let us be clear and lets get it right. Shepherds pie is made with lamb, cottage pie is made with beef. Never in the history of the British isles has cheese ever come close to either. If you see cheese anywhere near a recipe for either, put it down to the USA's obsession to add cheese to anything that moves - it doesn't generally belong with meat unless you desire lead in your stomach, this said. 1 lb. lean lamb, minced 1 large onion, sliced 1 medium carrot, chopped 1 stick celery, chopped enough beef stock to cover salt and pepper 3 to 4 tsp. corn starch or 2 Bisto (if you know what it is) and 1 corn starch 2 lb. good mashing potatoes 4 oz. (1 stick) butter salt and pepper Let's get this right and the best way: Add minced lamb into a casserole dish, add onion, carrot, celery, beef stock, corn starch and/Bisto/corn starch, salt and pepper, to taste, and stir. Cook in a slow oven, say 275°F for 2 hours. You can do all this on stove top for about 20 minutes BUT the flavor is never the same. When complete, drain off gravy and reserve.
Add back enough gravy to the meat to make it moist. Gently add the potato to the top and build up. Spread with a fork, finally making fork marks both up and down and across to form a basket like pattern. Put oven temperature at 400°F, then bake until potato is crispy and golden on the peaks (about) 30 minutes. Serve with remaining gravy and steamed cabbage (preferably Savoy, if you can get it). NO CHEESE, PLEASE. Submitted by: Neil - a Brit | |
Boil and mash potatoes with milk, butter, salt and pepper, however DO NOT make it into a wet paste. It should be firm and almost chunky.| 967 reviews | Add review Share |
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recipe reviews #5406
girldotcom1980 says:
Lets just all get along... Both recipes are delicious...
#5450
Scooby says:
Ahhhh the power of cheese..... ;)
#5454
tbev says:
Wow, I've never heard so much crying before over something so trivial...yeah it was probably rude...offensive? Sure...get over it...
#5477
An American says:
I used lamb, but it didn't taste quite right until I melted velveeta into the lamb during the first part. What made this recipe was actually that and putting a liberal amount of mild cheddar over the potatoes. Now that's how Shepherd's Pie is MADE.
#5584
Another country heard from says:
You don't know the intent of the writer. Was it tongue in cheek, or was he serious? I find your leap to judgement more offensive. Either try the recipe, and post your opinion or move on to another one.
#5613
Tiger says:
All he said was leave the cheese off and we get a litany of rude comments. If you saw snobbishness in his recipe I can guarantee that was not his intent, just stating a valid point. Good recipe from a Great country.
#5620
Just a cook says:
Thanks for the recipe!!! I loved it!!!
#5625
Katie says:
Neil--Do you Brits know what America's favorite faux cheese is? Can you say Velveeta?
#5639
Audrey says:
Good recipe. I tried it, but I like beef better, personally.
I found this recipe after trying a few others. I noticed that he's been all over other people's recipes leaving nasty comments. Maybe a lot of the people would understand the anger here if they viewed some of the rude and obnoxious comments he left elsewhere.
Just sayin'. Some folks are flapping their mouths without knowing. Foot in mouth, much?
At least this recipe tastes okay.
I found this recipe after trying a few others. I noticed that he's been all over other people's recipes leaving nasty comments. Maybe a lot of the people would understand the anger here if they viewed some of the rude and obnoxious comments he left elsewhere.
Just sayin'. Some folks are flapping their mouths without knowing. Foot in mouth, much?
At least this recipe tastes okay.
#5665
rockymtnlady says:
WOW!!!!! To be honest I had NEVER heard of Shepherd's Pie until, get this, we found a frozen version in the grocery store! I have used this site for years, and I am honestly disappointed to see Cooks.com have this kind of petty stuff on their site. To me a recipe is all about who is eating it, and their preference. It's not about whether it's the "real" way to make it!!!!!
#5716
Tina says:
Neil: I appreciate your candor in telling all about this dish as a true version found in the UK. THAT is exactly what I was looking for...a TRUELY British recipe for Shepherd's Pie. After spending about an hour searching, I kept finding recipes with beef. Or a recipe that said "use beef or lamb". I will make this dish will lamb; using the ingredients that go with lamb. I can alter later, should I see fit to make this as a cottage pie, or a pie to use up leftovers. Thank you for your candor. Tina
#5781
Hamilton Wrye says:
I am an American, but I came on this site to find an authentic British recipe. Neil has given me that. I find his dry British humour (see, I can spell like a Brit too!) to be refreshing and wickedly wry. I love the recipe, and whenever I get authentic recipes from other countries, I don't 'Americanize' them, I stay true to the home country's methods....that's the whole reason for cooking international dishes, not to make them unrecognizable. Now I just have to find a good treacle tart recipe....
#5803
Shepherd says:
Hamilton is great, I love your humour too! :)
Though I feel I must point out that its Americanise not Americanize ;)
If anyone wants to take the customisation of this old classic any further I'd like to suggest that instead of cheesy wrongdoings you investigate the Shepherds Pie Pie! What I'm after is some sort of pie crust, with a classic lamb and potato shepherds pie in it, with maybe a lattice on top. Is that not the holy grail of all this pie shenanigans?
Though I feel I must point out that its Americanise not Americanize ;)
If anyone wants to take the customisation of this old classic any further I'd like to suggest that instead of cheesy wrongdoings you investigate the Shepherds Pie Pie! What I'm after is some sort of pie crust, with a classic lamb and potato shepherds pie in it, with maybe a lattice on top. Is that not the holy grail of all this pie shenanigans?
#5851
ONLY POSTING BECAUSE.... says:
...this is entertaining. Please carry on!
#5950
Michael Allen says:
Neil,
Thanks for a great dish. Do you know if Bisto is available in th US? What type of a "gravy" is it? Are the only differences between shepards and cottage pies the type of meat that is used? Thanks again.
Thanks for a great dish. Do you know if Bisto is available in th US? What type of a "gravy" is it? Are the only differences between shepards and cottage pies the type of meat that is used? Thanks again.
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