Irish Shepherds Pie Recipe: The Flavors Take Us Back to the Traditional Irish Lifestyle!

If you want to serve an authentic Irish meal, an Irish shepherds pie recipe is a great place to start. We have sampled this dish all over the world, and while it definitely tastes best in Ireland, you can make a pretty mean version of it wherever you are.

And it doesn’t take long to make. Preparation time is usually 20 minutes or less, with about the same amount of time to cook. This particular recipe feeds 4-6.

Ingredients

2 pounds lamb (small chunks)
2 cups chicken stock
3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
1 cup peas (ideally frozen, not canned)
3 carrots, diced (or one package frozen). Although carrots are the more authentic ingredient we will sometimes substitute a bag of frozen corn because - well - we like it better!
6 ounces red wine
2 tablespoons ketchup or tomato paste
1 tablespoon butter
6 cups mashed potatoes (we recommend making them from scratch, but if peeling, chopping and squishing boiled spuds is not your thing, a quality packaged substitute will work just fine.)
1 egg whipped with 2 teaspoons of milk
2 – 3 cups of grated Irish cheddar cheese
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional, probably not all that authentic, but we love ‘em)

Directions for Making this Irish Shepherds Pie Recipe

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees Farenheit
Saute the carrots in olive oil until tender
Add the onions and mushrooms to the sauté mix and cook for a minute or two
Stir in the minced garlic
Add the lamb chunks
Add the pepper, thyme, garlic and rosemary
Cook until the meat is browned, then drain the fat
Add the butter and the peas
Stir the flour into the mix
Add the tomato and wine. Allow to simmer until reduction begins, then add the stock.
Reduce into gravy. Add a pinch of this and that until delicious, then remove from heat.
Grease an appropriate oven dish with the butter (between 9” and 13” in diameter works best), and add the cooked ingredients.
Spread mashed potatoes over the mixed ingredients. Brush the potatoes with egg
Bake until the potato is golden brown on top, approximately 20 minutes.
Sprinkle grated Irish cheese over all (parmesan cheese works fine as well) and bake for another 3-5 minutes
Serve in a bowl or large plate, with a pint o’ Guinness (or your favorite alternative beverage).

Hungry for More Irish Recipes?

Sharing Irish food is one of our favorite ways to enjoy an Irish experience, wherever in the world we happen to be! The flavors of an Irish meal, and the stories that come along with many Irish recipes, gives us a sense of connection with the Emerald Isle.

To help feed your Irish side, we have over the years created many downloadable, share-able Irish games, puzzles, recipes, songbooks, quizzes, and much, much more.

Want them right now? Keep reading to learn about "Your Irish Expressions Playbook."

Delicious! What's Next?

At Irish Expressions, our our goal is simple: to provide you with a unique Irish experience, on demand, wherever you are in the world.

If you have enjoyed our section on Irish Food Recipes, you have probably been exposed to many of the most delicious flavors that Ireland has to offer!

Will that entice you to visit Ireland - or to return if you have already been?

We hope so!

But even if that is not possible, you can still enjoy the magic of Ireland in these pages. Check out the links at the top of the page for simple instructions on how to explore Irish landmarks, enjoy Irish food, practice Irish customs, and much more!

More Fun With Irish Expressions

Congratulations on learning more about the Emerald Isle and discovering what we like to call your "Irish Side." You may be thinking "I'd love to actually VISIT Ireland but that's really not in the cards right now. What am I supposed to do with the stuff I just learned?"

Well never fear! Since 2009 we have collected all of the best printable, shareable resources we could find, to help you put your new knowledge of Ireland to good use. We've put them all together in a single download we call "Your Irish Expressions Playbook," which contains over 50 pages of games, puzzles, recipes, songbooks, quizzes, travel guides and much, much more.

Purchase them ALL for one small price, print as many copies as you like and share them with your friends - with no limitations! But order soon - we are already adding to the Playbook for future editions and this price will not last long.

Oh, want one more reason to order right away? If you buy YOUR copy of the Playbook now, you will be allowed to upgrade to any new future edition for FREE.