There are few meals that make my family happier than a meat and potatoes meal — and when the meat and the potatoes co-exist in one homey comfort food, let’s just say happiness and goodwill abound. Shepherd’s pie is the best of those kinds of combo dinners, a classic Irish comfort food. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day.

Shepherd’s pie is traditionally topped with mashed potatoes. And while plain old mashed potatoes are delicious — CHEESY mashed potatoes are just all that much more rock-and-roll. In this recipe, I picked two cheeses to blend into creamy mashed potatoes to give them that extra pop of flavor, and the slightest of cheese pulls when you lift up a forkful of the pie. A plain Havarti for its delicate creamy freshness plus sharp aged cheddar for its tangy richness. Seriously, I thought the boyfolk in my house might weep. Also, this pie says serves 6…but that night, it served 3.

Shepherd’s pie can be a standalone dinner, but you might want a nice light salad or veggie side dish to complement it. Try Roasted Broccolini with Lemon, Light Green Crunchy Salad, or Tomato, Avocado, and Cucumber Salad.

Shepherd’s Pie recipe: A savory ground lamb and vegetable filling topped with cheesy mashed potatoes is the ultimate Irish comfort food (perfect for St. Patrick’s Day).

Ingredients

• Lamb – You can use ground lamb (also called lamb mince) or chopped leftover lamb. And if you prefer beef or other ground meat, go for it (though then it’s not a classic Shepherd’s pie, but more of an English Cottage Pie).
• Russet potatoes – These will be boiled, then mashed with some milk, butter, havarti and cheddar cheese for the topping. Feel free to double the topping if you want extra cheesy mashed potatoes for another meal later in the week; they reheat easily on the stove or in the microwave.
• Vegetables – These add heft, nutrition, flavor, and color to the filling. I use very traditional vegetables and aromatics in my Shepherd’s Pie recipe: chopped onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and some fennel (which adds brightness and a slight anise-ey flavor). Then, at the end, a mixture of peas and corn is added for even more color and texture.
• Milk, chicken broth, and flour – These ingredients are the base of the sauce, which pulls the filling together. You can also use beef broth if you want. The little bit of flour thickens the sauce.
• Seasonings – Thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper elevate the flavor of the pie.

How to Make Shepherd’s Pie

1. Cook the potatoes: Simmer the potatoes in water until very tender.
2. Brown the lamb. Drain off any excess fat.
3. Make the filling: Sauté the vegetables in the same pan you used to cook the lamb. Add the flour and stir until it coats the vegetables, about 1 minute. Stir in the lamb and then 1/2 cup of the milk and the broth, and cook until the sauce thickens, scraping up any browned bit from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the corn and peas, Worcestershire sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Turn the mixture into a 9-inch deep dish pie pan.
4. Mash potatoes and spoon on top of pan: Mash the potatoes with the remaining milk and butter and stir in the cheeses. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the lamb mixture. Use a spoon to make nice wavy peaks and valleys in the potatoes.

5. Bake and serve: Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes until the top is set and browned. If you want the top a bit more browned, you can run it under the broiler for a minute or two. Remove from the oven and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Pro Cooking Tips

• While ground lamb makes this a great weeknight pot pie recipe, you should also think of this recipe any time you have leftovers from a lamb roast, whether it’s a shoulder, a leg, or a loin. Buy enough lamb so that you will have extra, and then dice them finely and use them in this comfort food pot pie recipe.
• If you want to brown the top of the pie even more, you can broil it for a minute or two at the end. Watch it carefully to ensure it doesn’t get too browned.
• You can also use a 6-cup baking dish instead of a pie pan.

Variations

• You could add a couple of tablespoons of tomato paste to the mixture when you add the milk and broth to give the filling a rich, tomatoey flavor note.
• Use another type of ground meat, such as ground turkey or chicken. Or use ground beef, and then you are basically making a Cottage Pie.
• Change up the veggies as you like — depending on what you have on hand, or what’s in season.

Leftovers, Freezing, and Reheating

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Heat in a 300-degree oven until warmed throughout, or heat them in the microwave.

It can also be frozen. After the Shepherd’s Pie has baked, allow it to cool completely and then wrap it tightly in a couple of layers of aluminum foil. Store for up to 3 months in the freezer. Either defrost in the fridge overnight, remove the foil, and reheat the cooked, thawed pie for about 30 minutes in a 300-degree oven, or remove the foil and bake frozen for about 1 hour until it is hot throughout, including the very middle.

What to Serve With Shepherd’s Pie

Slivered Wedge Salad with Buttermilk Dressing and Bacon

Simple Roasted Asparagus with Shallots and Parmesan

Mayonnaise-Free Potato Salad

More Meaty, Cheesy Dinner Recipes

• Cheesy Beef and Hash Brown Casserole
• Cheesy Ground Beef Quesadillas
• One-Skillet Cheesy Beef and Macaroni
• Simple Baked Pasta with Bolognese Sauce
• Instant Pot Ziti “Lasagna” with Bolognese Sauce