# Shepards Pie........Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 13, 2005, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091 "2005-04-13T05:27:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/21 "2005-04-13T15:21:17Z")
Shepherd’s pie with beef? Shepherd’s pie with _ground_ beef? It is for shame. _Shame_! I make Shepherd’s pie with leftover leg of lamb. I make Cottage pie with leftover beef roast of some sort. They both kick much ass. ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/22 "2005-04-13T15:25:17Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > That’s a pity. I love a good shepherd’s pie myself. Moi aussi - it is great comfort food. Anything with good mashed potatoes is great comfort food. ---
**Author:** ![wonderwench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/35a633/32.png) [@wonderwench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderwench)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/23 "2005-04-13T15:28:16Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > Shepherd’s pie with beef? Shepherd’s pie with _ground_ beef? It is for shame. _Shame_! > > I make Shepherd’s pie with leftover leg of lamb. I make Cottage pie with leftover beef roast of some sort. They both kick much ass. Recipe? Por favor! ---
**Author:** ![Time\_Like\_Tears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Time\_Like\_Tears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Like_Tears)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/24 "2005-04-13T15:31:38Z")
This is one of the fastest meals I know how to make, and yet it’s so satisfying. Here’s my recipe: Adjust according to needed servings. This made a whopping 9 inch pie dish full, plus two single serving casseroles (which could have fed 4 of me) 1 lb. ground beef (or ground turkey) 1 8oz can corn niblets (drained) 1 8oz can peas and carrots (drained) 1 16oz can chili hot beans, undrained 1 8 oz can crushed tomatoes 1 small onion, chopped one teaspoon minced garlic three large baking potatoes 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup margarine or butter salt, pepper, hot sauce to taste Preheat oven to 425°. Prepare baked potatoes in preferred method. Mash, with skins on, removing any icky parts. Add sour cream and/or margarine until they come to a slightly moist play-doh like consistency, don’t forget the salt and pepper. Brown meat in pan with onion and garlic. Drain. Add corn, peas, carrots, and beans, then the tomato to bring it up to about sloppy joe consistency. Salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. Fill pie plate or casserole with meat mixture, about 2/3 full. Then mold mashed potato dough on top, completely covering the meat. I try to make it pretty flat, then spread some margarine on top to make it toasty in the oven. Leave a vent in the middle of the potatoes, maybe with a little more margarine. Only bake for a few minutes, until the top browns. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/25 "2005-04-13T15:32:43Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > I don’t know where in America YOU are, but that hasn’t been my experience in the suburbs of Chicago. The shepherd’s pies I have had are beef and lamb, and there’s no corn but there are carrots and peas. When I make it myself, it’s cottage pie (no lamb) but it still doesn’t have corn in it. I’ve never heard of Shepherd’s Pie without CORN. The usual debate is whether Shepherd’s Pie has ground beef in it, which **Urban Chic** and **betenoir** were getting at. Not that this is a definitive answer, but wiki says in North America, it’s typically ground beef, corn and mashed potatoes. > **[Shepherd's pie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd's_pie)** > > ...with the kind of refrigeration we had in our homes, cooked meat could be kept much more safely than raw. Therefore, when housewives bought their Sunday meat they selected pieces large enough to make into leftover dishes for several days. Our beef was generally cooked in the Pot-au-Feu... the dishes my mother made from this leftover boiled beef, especially the hachis... were... delicious tidbits. > Louis Diat, 1946 > Shepherd's pie, cottage pie, or hachis Parmentier is a meat pie consisting of... Although originally, it was lamb. [epicurious.com](http://epicurious.com) only lists lamb recipes for Shepherd’s Pie. [cooks.com](http://cooks.com) lists beef. Not sure what “Joy of Cooking” has to say about it. Anyone have theirs handy? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/26 "2005-04-13T15:54:30Z")
Since **Quadop** hasn’t got here yet, I’ll add. Add some marmite or vegimite to the meat mixture. The secret for good shepards pie for me is that the meat should be good and meaty, so strong stock, lots of chopped onion and garlic. Curry paste is good but then it is no longer a real shepards pie. And use good strong cheese grated on top of the mashed potato for the last few minutes of cooking. Thinking to an earlier food thread I was involved in… Grated parmesan rinds mixed into the mashed potato would be a good experiment, also sprinkled paprika on the top of the mash for colour and flavour. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/27 "2005-04-13T16:16:14Z")
I like a good, extra-sharp cheddar atop mine. I’ve also used a garlic-cheddar and a stout-cheddar. All were good eats. Sprinkle some frozen petite peas over the meat/gravy mixture before adding the mashed potatoes and cheese and you’re gonna eat good that night! ---
**Author:** ![Fortean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/96bed5/32.png) [@Fortean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fortean)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/28 "2005-04-13T16:35:19Z")
I’ve always heard that Shepherds Pie is made with lamb, because shepherds do stuff with lamb, and cottage pie is made with beef, for no reason at all. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/29 "2005-04-13T17:12:41Z")
IME Sheperd’s Pie is beef. I usually make it with carrots, onion and corn and have had a really good one at a pub I used to frequent (I think that may have been lamb, not sure though). I just use the clubhouse mix myself, it’s a quick and easy supper. As wonderwench says, it’s great comfort food. I only discovered it a year or so ago, but it’s already made its way into my repetoire of recipes. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/30 "2005-04-13T17:24:53Z")
My favorite shepherd’s pie recipe is Jamaican shepherd’s pie, which comes off the label of World Harbors Blue Mountain Jerk Sauce. Brown a pound of ground beef and a chopped onion in a frying pan. Add a cup of corn, a quarter cup of jerk sauce, and a little salt. Transfer it into an oven dish. Top with mashed potatoes and grated cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for thirty minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/31 "2005-04-13T18:07:51Z")
> [@Fortean](#): > > I’ve always heard that Shepherds Pie is made with lamb, because shepherds do stuff with lamb, and cottage pie is made with beef, for no reason at all. Sorry but Shepherds Pie allways made from beef from my English point of view. It’s an English excentricity thing I think (or maybe them thar shepherds were too fond of their sheep to eat them in a pie). Cottage pie could use lamb or beef or any other minced meat. ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Bruin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Queen\_Bruin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Bruin)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/32 "2005-04-13T20:11:56Z")
I only first experienced it through my husband’s family. They use ground beef and corn topped by mashed potatoes and cheese. Which I found a little bland. When I make it I add onions and lots of brown gravy mix to the beef. Makes it much more yummiful. Also sharp cheddar is a must. No weakass cheddar. I’d really like to try it with lamb, but I’m the only one here who likes it. ☹ Ah well, that is what St. David’s day is for! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/33 "2005-04-13T20:33:07Z")
I also think Shepherd’s Pie is a dull, uninspired dish. I find it as exciting as hospital broth. Doesn’t matter who makes it, either. It’s not bad, exactly, just blah. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Roboto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@Mr.Roboto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Roboto)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/34 "2005-04-14T03:00:25Z")
I asked Mrs. Roboto about the recepe and she replied, Trader Joe’s. Perhaps if the opportunity arises I shall re-masticate another bowl of the stuff with an open-mind,especially with the overwhelming enthusiasm towards Sheperds Pie by most of the Dopers who contributed to this thread. In the mean time, I’ll stick to a hearty Beef Stew. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/35 "2005-04-14T03:12:32Z")
> [@seosamh](#): > > ShephErd’s Pie - with an E. In l33t speak: \*\*5h3p3rd’5 P13. \*\* Gah. Can you imagine an entire menu in l33t? ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/36 "2005-04-14T03:22:54Z")
Mmmm, I’m going to make some tomorrow. Beef, though, and with a teensy bit of gravy in the meat. Then I’ll have it with ketchup. Yummy. One thing that always confused me - in French it’s called Paté Chinois, or “Chinese pot pie”. You thought the shepherd part was confusing, try explaining the Chinese connection! ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/37 "2005-04-14T03:27:45Z")
I’m just not fond of lamb - I guess it’s a southern thing. Shepherds Pie - wonderful comfort food and a good way to use leftover roast. Whenever I have a small portion of leftover veggies - into a freezer bag and into the freezer. All I have to do is make some mashed potatoes, layer, grate a little cheese and I have a good meal for a cold day. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/38 "2005-04-14T03:50:43Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Not sure what “Joy of Cooking” has to say about it. Anyone have theirs handy? In my edition (copyright 1997), the Shepherd’s Pie recipe is in the **ABOUT LAMB SHANKS** section, and the specific meat entry reads **1 pound leftover cooked lamb, finely chopped, or raw ground lamb**. Other ingredients are potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, vegetable oil, onion, carrot, celery, flour, stock, thyme, rosemary, and nutmeg – but no corn! ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/39 "2005-04-14T03:56:40Z")
I will second adding a little Marmite or Vegemite. And a fair bit of Worcestershire Sauce as well. Lea and Perrins brand. None of the others are nearly as good. If possible buy and enormous bottle - the stuff improves with age ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091/40 "2005-04-14T08:02:19Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > One thing that always confused me - in French it’s called Paté Chinois, or “Chinese pot pie”. Only in French-speaking parts of North America (Quebec and Maine, not sure about Louisiana), however. In France the nearest equivalent would be **Haché parmentier**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shepards-pie-why/299091.md?page=3)