Shepherd’s Pie

One of my favourite meals growing up was Shepherd’s Pie.  My Mum made an excellent version that was part of her arsenal of great meals, and this was a definite family favourite.  I still have not been able to duplicate exactly what I liked the most, so I think the memory is the stimulus for repeating the recipe and looking for that taste.  We have a convection oven so have abandoned trying to duplicate the recipe exactly.  Some convection oven meals are okay and perhaps I have not given it enough opportunity to prove itself, but I make my Shepherd’s Pie on the bbq.  It essentially turns out the same as an oven baked version, except there is the bbq flavour.

Shepherd’s Pie is an easy meal to prepare and I believe there are lots of variations from countries around the world with ingredients more or less similar.  The original English version typically used left over beef, sliced or chopped with mashed potatoes and vegetables.  My Mum made hers with fresh ground lamb or ground beef with vegetables in the next layer and topped with mashed potatoes and a pad or two of butter.  I do the same but Pat has brought a variation into the mix that we use all the time now.

Potatoes are the preferred method of topping from all recipes we have seen, but Pat likes to use either sweet potatoes or carrots mashed into all her mashed potato recipes, so that has become a staple for us.  It gives the potato mix a nice colour and the health benefits are good as well.  Pat comes from a French Canadian background and her mother always used creamed corn in her recipe for Shepherd's Pie, so that is an optional item.

When we travelled down to Arizona in the fall we stayed at a Harvest Host location in Indiana that sold grass fed farm raised beef, lamb and chicken.  We purchased frozen packs of each and the last pack we saved for one of our last meals in the desert before heading out.

Smoked Shepherd’s Pie

• 2 medium sized russet potatoes
• 1 medium sweet potato or three medium carrots
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Corn niblets, green peas or creamed corn
• 1 pound ground lamb, beef or sausage 
• 1 teaspoon Thyme
• 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1 tablespoon HP Sauce
• Butter
• Shredded cheese (optional)
• Smoking chips (optional)

Dice your choice of hard vegetables into equal sized cubes and cook in salted water.  Drain and mash until coarse.  Brown your choice of ground meat until most of the water and fat has rendered out.  Drain and return to the stove.  Add the Thyme, Garlic Powder and HP Sauce and cook for a few more minutes.

In a 4 by 9 oven proof pan lay out the ground meat, top with your choice of vegetable into a complete layer and top with the potato mixture.  Fluff up to have little raised ridges and drop about two or three pads of butter on top.

We have found through trial and error that metal pans do not work on the bbq.  If you are going to do this on a bbq you should use either an unglazed stoneware pan like the Pampered Chef version or a silicone pan.  I use either interchangeably and find they both do an excellent job with non stick and thorough heating.

Place the pan uncovered on a heat deflector in a 200-250 degree bbq.  Add your smoking chips if desired - I use hickory.  The rack on our bbq is about six inches from the coals so I need a deflector under the pan to stop it from burning.  Close the lid and wait, keeping the temperature in that range.  After one hour, if you want the optional cheese throw some shredded cheese on top of the potatoes for about ten more minutes.  Remove from the bbq and let stand for about ten before serving.  Enjoy as you inhale that wonderful smoky flavour and bite into that delicately crunchy topping.

Thank you for stopping by to read.