Shepherd’s Pie

Minced beef filling covered in browned mashed potatoes

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City/Region: North Ayrshire, Scotland

Time Period: 1894

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Cottage pie is made with beef, and shepherd’s pie is made with lamb. Or so they would have you believe. This division between mashed potato-topped meat pies is actually only about 50 years old. Before that, recipes for shepherd’s or cottage pie could call for beef or lamb, or didn’t specify a kind of meat at all.

The clove and the mushroom ketchup are both present but not overpowering, and the potatoes are creamy and delicious. Shepherd’s pie is my absolute favorite way to make meat and potatoes, and this 1894 version holds up.

“Shepherd’s Pie.
Minced beef or lamb; if beef, put in a pinch of pulverised cloves; if lamb, pinch of summer savoury to season it, very little pepper and some salt, and put in a baking-dish; mash potatoes and mix them with cream and butter and a little salt, and spread them over the meat; beat up an egg with cream or milk, a very little, spread it over the potatoes and bake it a short time, sufficient to warm it through and brown the potatoes.”

— Irvine Herald and Kilwinning Chronicle, October 5, 1894

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Ingredients:

Filling

• 1 lb (450 g) cooked roast beef
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon mushroom ketchup*

Mashed Potatoes

• 4 lbs (1.8 kg) gold or russet potatoes
• 3/4 cup (175 ml) cream, room temperature or warm is best
• 1/3 cup (80 g) butter, room temperature is best
• 2 tablespoons salt plus 1 teaspoon, divided
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk or cream

*This isn’t in this specific historical recipe, but it was in other recipes from the time, and it adds a delicious savory umami.

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
2. For the filling: Mince the roast beef as finely as you can. Mix the minced beef with the ground cloves, pepper, salt, and mushroom ketchup.
3. For the mashed potatoes: Peel the potatoes and chop them into small pieces, quarters or eighths, depending on the size of the potato.
4. Add 2 tablespoons of the salt to a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil them uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Don’t cook them too long or they’ll be too mushy.
5. When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and let them sit in the colander for 10 minutes so they can fully drain and some of the moisture evaporates.
6. Put the drained potatoes back into the pot and mash them with a masher, or run the potatoes through a ricer.
7. Mix in half of the cream, all of the butter, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Add more cream a little at a time until you get a nice stiff mashed potato. You may not need all of the cream.
8. To assemble: Lay the meat down in an even layer in a 9 inch (23 cm) pie dish, or divide it between smaller individual-sized dishes like I did. Pack the meat down into the dish, then spread mashed potatoes over it. You want there to be about 1/3 meat to 2/3 potato. Make the mashed potatoes a little taller in the center of the dish and smooth.
9. In a small bowl, beat the egg and mix it with the 2 tablespoons of milk or cream. Brush this mixture over the mashed potatoes, then use a fork to create some decorative lines in the mashed potatoes.
10. Place the pie(s) onto a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for about 20 minutes or until they’re nicely browned.
11. Serve them forth.

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