The Ultimate Shepherd’s Pie | Robert Welch Recipe

[0:00]This is the ultimate shepherd's pie, a home-cooked British classic. Buttery, cheesy mashed potato piped on top of a rich, comforting filling made from lamb, vegetables, and red wine. Now, although this dish is made in every household in the UK, there are a few secrets to making a really good shepherd's pie. The filling starts with celery, carrots, and onions. Then, secret number one, really good lamb mince with a high-fat content. Secret number two, is then going very hard on the caramelization. This should be really nice and brown. Set that aside and then put the vegetables in the same pan. Chop up rosemary, thyme and garlic, get that into the pan with salt and pepper, and then add tomato paste and put the lamb back in. Deglaze with red wine, and secret number three, real top-quality lamb or beef stock. Let that simmer and then get onto the mashed potato. Cook the potatoes and put them through a ricer. Then, add butter, cream, cheddar cheese, egg yolks, and salt. Then, secret number four, reduce the filling down to a thick gravy. We don't want anything watery. Turn off the heat, add Worcestershire sauce and turn through frozen peas. Final secret, it's not really a secret, but it just looks really good. Pipe the mash on top. I like to do two layers so the sauce doesn't come up. Top with cheddar cheese and then bake in the oven until it's golden and crispy.