Shepherd's pie may have originated in England, but it was adopted by Irish people many years ago. I grew up eating shepherd's pie.
The Irish version of English shepherd's pie is usually called cottage pie, since Irish shepherd's pie is usually made with ground lamb, not beef.
However, I grew up calling this beef dish shepherd's pie, and so even if I have not named it exactly right, I'm going to stick with calling this recipe shepherd's pie with Guinness.
To give my version of this traditional dish a true Irish flair, I have added Guinness stout to the beef mixture.
Table of Contents
Comfort Food At Its Finest
Shepherd's pie is comfort food at it's finest, especially when it has a little Irish flavor thrown in.
Technically, what I am sharing today is actually a cottage pie in Ireland. A beef layer in this casserole is called cottage pie and a layer of lamb mince is used for true Irish shepherd' pie.
However, I grew up calling this shepherd's pie, so I'm going to stick with that name.
I hope you'll excuse me and enjoy my version of this delicious main course.
Ingredients for Shepherd's Pie with Guinness
Here you’ll find a quick list of what you’ll need for this recipe. Check out the printable recipe at the bottom of this post for US and Metric equivalent versions of the recipe. There you can choose the measurement system that works best for you.
Shepherd's Pie
- olive or canola oil
- lean ground beef
- sea salt and black pepper (to season meat and potatoes)
- onion
- minced garlic
- tomato paste
- dijon mustard
- beef broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- Guinness stout
- bittersweet chocolate chips
- brown sugar
- dried thyme
- dried parsley
- dried sage
- dried marjoram
- peas and carrots (frozen)
- russet potatoes
- butter
- low-fat sour cream
- white cheddar cheese (grated)
Gravy
- brown gravy mix
- water
- Guinness stout
- tomato paste
- worcestershire sauce
- brown sugar
I don't use any flour to thicken the beef mixture for this shepherd's pie. I use a diced carrots and peas frozen veggie bag for the vegetables. These evenly sized vegetables are easy to spread in an even layer over the beef.
I like using dried herbs for this shepherd's pie recipe. Feel free to add some rosemary if you wish. If you use fresh thyme or fresh rosemary to flavor the beef mixture, be sure to remove the sprigs before adding the beef mixture to the casserole dish.
This recipe will work great with ground lamb or ground turkey instead of the ground beef. Use chicken broth instead of beef broth if you use either of these other meats.
Directions for Irish Shepherd's Pie with Guinness
Here you’ll find step-by-step photographic instructions to help you recreate this recipe successfully. There are plenty of tips included along the way.
Prepare the Potatoes
Before I start cooking the beef, I usually peel and cube my potatoes, cover them with water and set them to boil in a large saucepan. Add some salt to the cooking water.
If you peel your potatoes in advance of cooking the meal, do not add salt until you plan to cook the potatoes. Salty water draws the juices out of potatoes, if they are left to stand too long before cooking.
Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. After 15 to 20 minutes they should be fork tender and ready to be drained.
Cook the Beef
While the potatoes are boiling, season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Brown the beef in two to three batches, depending upon the size of your skillet.
Make sure the beef is fully browned before turning into a colander to strain the excess fat.
I like to sit my colander over a glass bowl to collect the excess fat and juices. I then soak it up in paper towels and throw it in the trash.
Our water company has requested we limit how much meat fat gets put down the drain. Meat fat can easily clog plumbing pipes.
While the meat is sitting to the side, add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan and brown the onions and garlic in the skillet.
My husband does not like the texture of onions, so here is a little trick I use to include their vital flavor, but eliminate the texture he so detests.
I put the fried onions, garlic and the beef broth in my blender, then liquify the onions.
I know most gourmet chefs are probably cringing at this idea, but a girl's got to do, what a girl's got to do, when her man doesn't like onions!!!
Return the beef to the skillet with the onions (if you have not liquified them). Next add the tomato paste and dijon mustard.
Pour the Guinness and Worcestershire sauce into the meat mixture.
Add the beef broth, or in my case, the beef broth and pureed onions. The broth in this picture looks more like Guinness because of the frothy, liquified onions. Stir the liquids well through the meat mixture.
Spices are next. Toss in the thyme, parsley, sage and marjoram. Another quick stir is needed to disperse them throughout the beef broth.
Brown sugar helps to take away some of the bitterness of the Guinness.
A few bittersweet dark chocolate chips are my secret weapon, to enhance the depth of the Guinness flavor.
Mix well to ensure the chocolate melts and melds throughout the skillet.
Return the mixture to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
A reader alerted me that their meat mixture turned out too wet. The issue probably arose during the simmering stage, which reduces the amount of liquid in the skillet.
If you put a lid on the pan as it simmers the liquid returns to the meat mixture rather than reducing the amount of liquid. The heat of the burner beneath the skillet will also determine how much liquid is removed via steam.
I use a window of 20 to 30 minutes for simmering since the humidity of the kitchen will also affect how long it takes to thicken.
Mash the Potatoes
While the meat mixture is simmering, the potatoes should be tender. Strain the potatoes, then mash them, or pass them through a potato ricer. I use a good old-fashioned potato masher.
You can use a hand mixer, but be careful not to over-beat these starchy, russet potatoes. They can get gluey if the starch is released by over-beating.
Add the butter and ¼ cup of sour cream to start. Mix thoroughly with the masher, and add extra sour cream as needed to produce a smooth potato mixture. The exact amount is dependent upon how starchy your particular potatoes may be.
Irish people make fluffier mashed potatoes than many Americans. Here you can learn more about Irish style mashed potatoes, made with what the Irish call floury potatoes.
Assemble the Shepherd's Pie
When the meat mixture has thickened nicely, pour it into the bottom of a greased 2-quart glass baking dish.
My dish is 8" x 11".
Top the meat layer with thawed peas and carrots, spreading them evenly over the surface of the meat.
Next comes the potato layer. Spoon the mashed potato over the vegetable layer and spread gently over the top, trying not to disturb the lower layers.
When evenly spread, cross hatch the surface with a fork. Place the shepherd's pie in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees F. Cook for 15 minutes before adding a layer of grated cheese.
If you wish to prepare this dish in advance of cooking, you can cover and store a pre-made shepherd's pie in the fridge for a day prior to cooking. I
f you are cooking it after taking it out of the fridge, remember to extend the cooking time to one hour, since it will not be going into the oven hot.
My favorite white cheddar is Kerrygold's Dubliner cheese, which is available here in the United States.
After 15 minutes of cooking I remove the casserole dish and spread the grated cheese over the top of the potatoes. Reducing the time the cheese is in the oven eliminates the risk of the cheese burning before the pie is fully cooked. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 to 30 minutes.
The shepherd's pie is ready when the surface is golden brown and crisping at the edges.
Remove it from the oven. While it is cooling, there is plenty time to make a little Guinness gravy to accompany it.
Add the brown gravy packets to the water in a saucepan and whisk together to eliminate all clumps.
Add tomato paste. Then comes the Worcestershire sauce.
And then the key ingredient, the last 3 ounces of Guinness remaining in the bottle. I hate waste, so I decided why not use the last few drops of Guinness to enhance a little gravy to accompany this dish.
Add a teaspoon of brown sugar and whisk the gravy as it comes to the boil. Keep stirring it to prevent any lumps. Remove from the heat once it starts to bubble.
I like to serve my shepherd's pie with a little Guinness gravy poured over the top, some steamed broccoli and a few mushroom caps, sauteed in oil and a dash of worcestershire sauce.
Shepherd's pie is one of our family's favorite meals. I hope you and yours enjoy it as much as we do.
Recipe Card and Video
Here's a video outlining the steps for this recipe.
Here is the printable recipe:
Shepherd's Pie with Guinness
Ingredients
For the Meat Layer
- 3 tablespoons canola oil or olive oil
- 2 pounds ground beef lean
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt to season meat
- ¼ teaspoon pepper to season meat
- 1 large onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Guinness stout
- 1 tablespoon bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- 12 ounces peas and carrots frozen
For the Mashed Potato Topping
- 3 pounds russet potatoes
- 2 ounces butter
- ⅓ cup low-fat sour cream
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese grated
For the Gravy
- 1.5 ounces brown gravy mix 2 x 0.75 ounce packets
- 1½ cups water
- 3 fluid ounces Guinness stout
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown Sugar
Instructions
To Make the Potato Mash:
- Peel and cube the potatoes and place them in a large saucepan. Cover them with water. Turn the heat on high and set them to boil. Add some salt to the cooking water.
- Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. After 15 to 20 minutes they should be fork tender and ready to be drained.
- Strain the potatoes when tender. Mash well or pass them through a potato ricer. Add the butter and half the sour cream.
- Mash thoroughly, adding additional sour cream as necessary to smooth the consistency of the mashed potatoes. Do not make the mashed potatoes too thin.
To Make the Meat Base:
- While the potatoes are boiling, season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Brown the beef in two to three batches, depending upon the size of your skillet. Strain the beef through a colander to drain off the excess fat. Set aside.
- Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan and brown the onions and garlic in the skillet.
- Return the beef to the skillet with the onions. Next add the tomato paste and dijon mustard, the Guinness, worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Stir well.
- Add the thyme, parsley, sage and marjoram. Stir to disperse them throughout the beef broth.
- Add the brown sugar and chocolate chips. Stir well to ensure the chocolate melts and mixes throughout the skillet. Return the mixture to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and allow to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
Assembling the Pie
- When the meat mixture has thickened nicely, pour it into the bottom of a greased 2-quart glass baking dish (8″ x 11″).
- Top the meat layer with thawed peas and carrots, spreading them evenly over the surface of the meat.
- Spoon the mashed potato over the vegetable layer and spread gently over the top.
Cooking the Pie in the Oven
- Place the shepherd’s pie in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees F. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add a layer of grated cheese. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 to 30 minutes.
- The shepherd’s pie is ready when the surface is golden brown and crisping at the edges. Remove it from the oven. While it is cooling, make some Guinness gravy.
Making the Guinness Gravy
- Add the brown gravy packets to the water in a saucepan over high heat.
- Whisk in tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, Guinness and brown sugar. Keep whisking the gravy as it comes to the boil. Remove from the heat once it starts to bubble.
- Using a metal serving spatula, divide the shepherd's pie into 8 rectangular servings. Serve with Guinness gravy poured over top, if desired.
Nutrition Information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients used.
This dish is a favorite in America, but you may be interested in learning what the Irish eat for Saint Patrick's Day.
Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
P.S. The folks at Kerrygold have never heard of me. I just love their cheese, and thought I might share with you. It brings back memories of my childhood, and the sweet, nutty flavors of Irish cheddar cheese.
Here are some more recipes and ramblings you might enjoy...
Irish Soups And Stews
- Easy Cauliflower Leek Irish Soup Recipe
- Homemade Vegan Vegetable Stock Cubes
- How To Make Irish Style Cream of Celery Soup
- Beef and Ale Stew
Irish Main Dishes
- Delicious And Flavorful Whiskey Pork Chops Recipe
- Guinness Glazed Chicken Tenders
- Easy Slow Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Leftover Turkey and Ham Rissoles
The Barefoot Indian
This looks sooo good! Can you believe I've never made a Shepherd's Pie?!? I must give this a try! After all, I have an entire freezer FULL of ground beef! And with gravy?!? Yum!
~Piper
netsey preston
How did you get that golden finish on the mushroom tops?
Irish American Mom
My trick for getting the tops of the mushrooms so golden brown is to use a thickly folded piece of paper towel to mop up the excess liquid the mushrooms produce as they are sauteeing. I usually fry them on the hollow side first, then switch them over to the top sides, keeping the pan as dry as possible - mushrooms lose a lot of moisture when frying and if this accumulates in the bottom of the pan it won't let you get that lovely golden finish on them. Be careful not to burn your fingers! Also, a dash of worcestershire sauce into the pan just before the end of cooking adds a nice hint of color and flavor.
Hope this helps and thanks for visiting.
Lane
I made this last night for my wife and mother-in-law as well as our kids. They all said it was better than their mom made! Love this recipe. I'm going to try your others as well.
Irish American Mom
So glad your shepherd's pie got family approval and that everyone liked the Guinness flavor. Thanks also for putting a link back on your blog to mine. Hope you enjoy my other recipes. Thanks for visiting.
Keith Robinson
I was thinking about making a Shepherd's Pie the other day. I'm glad I ran across this. Thanks!!
Daria
Can this be frozen and if yes at what stage would I freeze it?
Thanks
Irish American Mom
Daria - The mashed potato layer does not freeze well. What I do is pre-make the meat layer and freeze it. Then I can assemble the shepherd's pie with the defrosted meat, the veggie layer and mashed potato on the day I want to serve it. I hope this helps.
Mairead
Lisa
I have a silly question....Is Guiness beer that's been in the fridge for 10 months still good?
Irish American Mom
Hi Lisa - Most American beers have an expiration date, but since Guinness is imported from Ireland I don't think you'll find a date. I checked a bottle I have in my fridge and couldn't see any dates. I personally would use 10 month old Guinness, especially it it has been kept in the fridge. If it was in a hot garage most of that time, I would think twice before using it. Give it a whiff when you open it, just to make sure it still has a nice fresh beer smell before cooking with it.
Happy St. Patrick's Day and I hope your shepherd's pie turns out great.
Mairead
Tiffany
I just made the Irish Shepherd's Pie w Guiness for the first time. Not only is this my first time to make it. It is my first time to have Shepherd's Pie. It's St Patrick's and I was looking for something besides Corned Beef... That tends to get boring. When It's done cooking I can't wait to taste it!!!! I even died the mashed potatoes green. Thank the Lord for Google and me finding this recipe!!!!
Irish American Mom
Tiffany - You really were creative, making green mashed potatoes. Hope you all had a wonderful day. I am so glad you found my website through Google. Come back and visit whenever you get a chance.
Mairead
JK
Thank you for your detailed pictures and descriptions of this yummy dish! My husband who is picky had 3 servings of this dish!!! When I told him I was getting Guinness to make the Shepherds Pie that he requested for St. Patrick's Day dinner (he is Irish) he was not too sure about it but it was worth the "argument" we had rather I should make it or not. LOL! Thanks again!
Irish American Mom
So glad you liked my Shepherd's Pie recipe and that you won the argument to make it for St. Patrick's Day. I made it too and there were lots of second helpings. Best wishes.
BettyAnne White
I want to thank you so much for the "Irish Shepherd's Pie". I am over 1/2 Irish, from MA. My family kept the Irish part hidden for the sake of business back in the 50's. Anyhow, I am trying to resurrect Irish traditions in my family and this dish was a HUGE hit. Thank you so very much!
Irish American Mom
BettyAnne - I am so glad to hear your family enjoyed my Irish Shepherd's Pie and that you are rediscovering your Irish roots. Best wishes!
John
I made this pie for my family last night. It was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Wonderful recipe. Thank you, once again.
Irish American Mom
I think the Guinness gives this Shepherd's Pie an extra depth of flavor. My family really enjoy this recipe too.
Bruce from Irish-Expressions.com
Love your blog. Love shepherd's pie - this is the best recipe we've tried.
Thank you for showing us so many great ways to express our Irish side!
Irish American Mom
Bruce - Thanks for visiting and I am so happy to hear this shepherd's pie is the best recipe you have tried.
Bonnie Banters
This shepherd's pie is so unique in so many ways. Especially the use of chocolate chips...reminds me of a Mexican chili I've made in the past. This is the best shepherd's pie recipe I think I've ever seen! The replies you've made to reader comments and comments below the photos are really helpful! Thanks for sharing!
Irish American Mom
So glad you like this recipe, Bonnie. It was a Mexican stew that inspired me to use chocolate chips to compensate for the bitter taste of Guinness. I think the two flavors complement each other magically. Thanks for stopping by and leaving such a great comment.
Best wishes!
Mairead
Erika
I just have to say it was the easiest recipe to follow. I'm not a big cook but I'm enjoying making your recipies.im not Irish but love Ireland . I've already made Irish stew and I've done bangers and mash. I'm gonna try your leek and potato soup. Thank you for making it so easy.
Irish American Mom
Erika - Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed this Shepherd's pie and some of my other Irish recipes. I'm glad to hear my step-by-step photo instructions are useful. Potato and leek soup is one of my favorites, so I hope you enjoy it too. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words.
All the best,
Mairead
The wandering chef
I have been cooking all my life since i was a little boy helping mom and grandma in the kitchen. I'm also Irish American and have made my own version of Shephard's pie (which is tasty), but your recipe really intrigue's me (especially the bittersweet choc. and Guiness). Are you married? lol... I'm really glad i stumbled upon your website and look forward to trying your other recipe's as well.
Irish American Mom
So glad you stumbled upon my site too. Thanks for your lovely comment. Like you I love to cook, and learned from my mom and granny as a little girl. They only cooked Irish food, since I grew up there. I was ten before I ever even tasted a pizza. Luckily my husband also grew up on Irish food, so he really enjoys the tastes of home I create, often with a little twist like chocolate in the sauce.
Take care and happy cooking,
Mairead
Deirdre
Hello! So glad to find your site! I made the Shepher's Pie tonight and my husband says it is in his top 3 best meals I have ever made! 🙂 Love how you said to use the Dubliner cheese! I really think it makes all the difference! I love all their cheeses. I have yet to try their butters...worth trying? Thanks, again, and I will definitely be back for some more recipes!
Irish American Mom
Deirdre - Dubliner cheese really does add an extra layer of flavor to this dish. So glad it passed your husband's taste test. Thanks for stopping by my site and checking out my recipes.
All the best,
Mairead
bob
the irish make their sheppards pie with lamb that is traditional, this is called cottage pie.
Irish American Mom
Bob - Thanks for pointing this out. I have heard that traditionally the Irish used ground lamb for a shepherd's pie and that beef was used for a cottage pie. My recipe title is probably technically incorrect, but when I was growing up we always called our ground beef casserole with mashed potatoes shepherd's pie. I asked my husband, and in Donegal they called it shepherd's pie too. By the 1960's and 1970's we were probably being influenced by television from England and had adopted some of their terms. Thanks for stopping by and adding this valuable piece of information.
All the best,
Mairead
Terrance O'Hara
I love shepards pie, I've herd it called Cottage Pie- with beef, Shepard's pie-with lamb. Kerry Gold Dubliner cheese is delish, like mine applied after the potatoe peaks have browned and just melted not browned. Also, I like to make my mashed potatoes fairly loose due to being reheated and drying out, as well as my beef, I like to make my gravy right in my beef mixture. I mix the peas and carrots with the beef and let them set so when my loose potatoes are placed on top they don't mix. Just some ideas.
Irish American Mom
Terrance - Thanks so much for these great tips for making shepherd's pie. Kerrygold Dubliner cheese is definitely delicious and the perfect topping for this dish.
All the best,
Mairead
Susan
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made it for St. Patty's Day and it was by far the best Shepherd's pie I've had - I think the gravy really made it. Slainte!
Irish American Mom
Susan - Thank you for such lovely feedback. So happy you enjoyed this Shepherd's Pie.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Erin
I was googling some Irish recipes for a church function and your blog came up. LOVE IT! I am curious though, because I am wanting to make this dish for a church function I am "iffy" on making it with the Guinness. If I were just making it for my family I would make it as is, but for church, I'm not so quick on that. I know the alcohol flavor will most likely not be that noticeable, but I would like to not have to leave any info out if asked what is in it. Do you have any suggestion as to what can replace the Guinness without altering the flavor too much?
Our church function is an International Dinner where everybody has a table decorated and with food traditional to the country chosen. The countries represented are where we have missionaries. My husband & I chose Ireland because my husband is Irish (a few generations removed, but still Irish, with red-headed daughters & all...lol). I am Scottish, but I figured that Ireland is close enough since we do not have a missionary in Scotland and, plus, I love Ireland just the same because that's where my husband's family originated. Anyways, sorry for babbling. My question is, having lived in Ireland, do you have any suggestions on how to make our table as traditional as possible? I want to do this beautiful country the justice it deserves. Thank You in advance & keep up the great work with your blog. As I said before, LOVE IT!!
Irish American Mom
Erin - Glad you found my site and I hope your Shepherd's Pie will be a great success at your church function. I understand how you need to eliminate the Guinness to suit all tastes. If you do leave it out, I would just increase the beef broth to 1 and 1/2 cups, not 2 cups. Guinness is thicker than broth so your meat mixture may be too wet using 2 cups of broth. Also leave out the brown sugar and chocolate chips since their role is to counteract the bitterness of the Guinness. The tomato paste, dijon mustard, worcestershire sauce and spices should provide plenty of flavor to the meat mixture. Hope this turns out well.
As for your table setting I think if you use a little touch of green on the table either in the napkins or table cloth you should have a nice Irish theme. When using shamrock motifs, the Irish tend to favor small green shamrocks against a white background, rather than the larger shamrocks used in America. A traditional Irish table for a celebratory occasion would probably be covered in an Irish white linen table cloth, and then a piece of Belleek china or Waterford glass used as a center piece. Since these are difficult items to get in the US, I think a little touch of green would be just fine.
Have a wonderful evening with your friends from church, and I know you will represent Ireland with pride.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Erin
Thank you so much for your suggestions for the table & the suggested changes for the dish. These, I know, will be perfect! 🙂
Ruth Byers
How can you possibly call it traditional when you use beef instead of lamb. Shame on you!
Irish American Mom
I stand corrected Ruth. This is technically a cottage pie, not a shepherd's pie. Ground lamb should be used for a traditional Irish shepherd's pie.
Take care,
Mairéad
Jason Doty
So far I have tried your Yorkshire Pudding, Your scones, and your Irish Shepard's Pie!! All Delicious and my family loves it all!!
Thank You- Jason
Irish American Mom
Jason - Thanks so much for giving these recipes your family's seal of approval. I'm so glad you like them.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Lisa
This looks amazing! I grew up on Shepherd's pie as well but the Guinness addition is something that never even occurred. I'm going to give that a try. I've even got a bottle in the fridge right now. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Irish American Mom
Hi Lisa - I hope you enjoy this version of Shepherd's pie. I love to make it for dinner since we usually eat leftovers the second day. I love when I can cook once and eat twice, so this is a perfect dish for a busy mom.
All the best,
Mairead
Diane Mays
Hi Mairead,
I am so happy I discovered your site. My husband is irish and I need to create some more Irish tradition in my home. I want to make your Shepherd's Pie...can you please provide a link so I can print out the recipe. Not sure if you knew or not bur for some reason there is no link at the top of the recipe to be able to print this.
Thank you for sharing your recipes and Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Regards,
Diane
Irish American Mom
Hi Diane - Thanks so much for giving me a heads up that there was a problem with the printable recipe for this post. I think I have sorted out the coding error and it should appear now.
I'm delighted you came across my little corner of the world wide web, and hope you'll enjoy a little Irish cooking for your husband using my recipes.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you and yours.
All the best,
Mairéad
Erin
My husband and I have been making your Shepherd's Pie recipe for a few years now and it is a HUGE hit with our friends and family - we love it!! Thank you so much for sharing it!!
We are actually planning on making some for this coming Friday, but were hoping to get your feedback on refrigerating/freezing prior to cooking. I read in your recipe that it's fine to store in the refrigerator for a day prior to baking, but I was wondering if you've ever tried longer than that, or if you've ever tried freezing it before baking?! We have an insanely busy week, so our options would be to either make it on Wednesday evening and refrigerate until Friday (if that's even okay?!) or making it Monday or Tuesday, which I assume would then require freezing. Please let us know your thoughts or if you just really don't recommend making it more than a day in advance!!
Thanks so much!!!
Irish American Mom
Hi Erin - I'm so glad your family enjoy this shepherd's pie so much. If you need to make it two days in advance, keep the meat layer and potatoes separately in the fridge, since the meat juices could seep through to the potatoes and discolor them if they sit in the fridge for a long time. For freezing, I find that mashed potatoes don't freeze well. You could make the meat layer in advance and freeze it, then add the frozen vegetables and mashed potato layers when you are ready to cook the complete shepherd's pie.
I hope this helps, and happy St. Patrick's Day.
Mairéad
Erin
Great! Thank you so much for the feedback - that makes sense! Happy St. Patrick's Day to you as well!
Irish American Mom
🙂 🙂 🙂
Anthony
Shepard's pie is made exclusively with lamb (Shepards heard sheep, hence the name of the dish). What you have made here is called cottage pie.
Irish American Mom
Hi Anthony - Thanks for clarifying this. What I make is technically a cottage pie, even if I have misnamed it for decades.
All the best,
Mairéad
stacy sanchez
Mairead,
I just came back Wednesday from a 12 day vacation in Ireland. To those whom have criticized your calling this dish "Shepherd's Pie", shame on them! Yes, traditionally it is made with lamb, but I ordered a Shepherd's pie in Killarney at Cronin's, and it was made with ground beef, not lamb. Incidentally, it was thee best Shepherd's pie I have ever tasted in my 47 years! I can't wait to try your recipe. Wish me luck!
Irish American Mom
Hi Stacy - Thank you so much for checking out my recipe, and I appreciate you supporting me using the name "shepherd's pie." The term "cottage pie" is technically correct, but for many years this dish has been called "shepherd's pie" in Ireland. In my family we always called it "shepherd's pie" when I was a little girl. To tell you the truth, I think the most important thing is that the dish tastes good. Once it's pleasing to the palate what we call it doesn't really matter.
All the best, and I hope you had a lovely time in Ireland.
Mairéad
Tommy
This is not shepherds pie. A real one has Lamb in it. Beef pie is Cottage pie. Never use Guinness and never chocolate. Jaysus mailed will ye stop telling the silly yanks fibs. Smh. You're some some eejits to make this shite
Irish American Mom
Hi Tommy - Thanks for pointing out the difference between shepherd's pie and cottage pie. I agree, this is truly a cottage pie. But remember this is just a recipe. No need to call readers names.
Take care,
Mairéad
Elle
I love this recipe. Don't know where I got it but have been using it for years now. It's the best recipe for Irish Shepherd's Pie than any other I've found. The only recipe I have eaten that was better is served in Boulder, CO at an Irish Bar downtown. I asked once how they got the flavor. Their secret was one liver minced and melted into the meat. You don't taste it but it provides a depth of flavor.
The chocolate chips in the version I use is replaced with dark cocoa and I add a splash of cider vinegar at the end to give it a bit of brightness. Not too much or you'll have to put a touch more brown sugar in the pan. Cocoa is also good in chili for deepening the flavors. Excellent recipe I just made it for St. Patty's.
(I tried to print the recipe to as a gift with the Shepherd's pie. Not good. I, for one, would really appreciate it if you'd provide the function of copying and pasting as on other sites. Reason is the print mode is awful. The recipe comes out in very small print, the list of ingredients is very close together and the top prints out containing a number of things from the site which also interfere with seeing the recipe. Extremely difficult to read. In fact, if I want to copy this comment so I don't lose it between servers, I can't.)
Irish American Mom
Hi Elle - I'm so glad you like this recipe. And thanks for sharing that shepherd's pie tip from the Irish Bar in Boulder. I would never have thought to mince liver into the meat, but I understand how this would add another dimension to the flavor profile for the meat sauce.
What a wonderful idea to add the printed recipe when making shepherd's pie as a gift. Sorry to hear the printable recipe tool on my site does not work well. If you have an example of a good recipe on a blog that prints well that would be great. I will need to delve into the technical side of my blog to solve the copying and pasting function and if you could share a link for a website that does this well that would help me so much.
Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your wonderful feedback.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Mairéad
Katie G
I know this is traditionally made with ground beef, (I love your recipe with beef) but, could I use a top round roast maybe in crock pot shredded the meat then move to casserole dish top with veggies and potatoes (of course the cheese too) ? If so how would the recipe be altered?
Thanks so much
Irish American Mom
Hi Katie - I think your idea should work. I cook the top round roast in a Guinness mixture so that the flavors are totally absorbed. You could make a cooking liquid for the crock pot by combining the following ingredients from the recipe:
2 teaspoons Minced garlic
3 tablespoons Tomato paste
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup beef broth
2 to 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Guinness stout
1 tablespoon bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
Once the beef is cooked you can shred it and combine it with the remaining cooking liquid. I am only guessing if this might work, since I have never cooked this dish in this manner before. Best of luck, and I hope this helps.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you and yours.
All the best,
Mairéad
Ana
Love it
Irish American Mom
Hi Ana - Guinness gives this shepherd's pie a lovely flavor.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Ana
Delicious
Irish American Mom
Thank you Ana.
All the best,
Mairéad
Fitzwilliam Traci
Delish!! Will make again. Didn’t add the brown sugar.
Irish American Mom
Thanks so much for rating this recipe, and it's lovely to know it was a hit with your family. Thanks for stopping by.
All the best,
Mairéad
AsheSmashe
We have this recipe saved and make it every year for our St. Patrick's Day get together (plus several other times throughout the year). Inevitably, we end up sending the recipe to a list of folks who love it so much they ask for it.
My husband, who despises sweets -especially chocolate- swears the chocolate is the key ingredient that makes it so damn good! Thank you!
Irish American Mom
Hi there - I'm thrilled to hear you like my recipe for Shepherd's pie with Guinness. I think your husband is correct about my secret or not-so-secret ingredinet. I borrowed the idea of adding chocolate from Mexican cooking, and I agree that it makes all the difference in this recipe. It enhances and mellows the flavors of the Guinness and gives this dish its unique flavor profile. Thanks for taking the time to rate my recipe. I really appreaciate it. Have a lovely Saint Patrick's Day.
All the best,
Mairéad