Meaty, saucy, chunky, and delicious, this Guinness Shepherd’s Pie is rich and delicious. It’s a humble meal made better with Irish beer!
Ingredients
1poundground beef, lean is best
1small sweet onion, finely chopped
1carrot cut into 1/4 inch rounds
2celery ribs, diced
1Tbsptomato paste
2clovesgarlic minced
½teaspoondried thyme
½teaspooncelery salt
½Tbspcornstarch, or 1 Tablespoon flour
1 ½cupsGuinness beer, or dark stout
2teaspoonWorcestershire
1cupfrozen peas
2 ½cupsMashed Potatoes, buy pre-made in store
Or make your own mashed potatoes:
1poundrusset potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
3Tbspbutter
½cupmilk
salt & black pepper to taste
Paprika, for dusting
Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
Instructions
Prepare the mashed potatoes if you are not using store-bought. Keep warm and set aside. If using store-bought, remove from the container and heat until warm.
If making your own, peel the potatoes and cut into 1-inch inch cubes. In a pot of boiling water, add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes or so, until tender with a fork.
Drain the potatoes and return to the pot; mash with a potato masher and add the butter and milk; season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix together until smooth and set aside.
Make the meat mixture:
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef until cooked through; drain off any fat.
Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
Next, add tomato paste, garlic, thyme, cornstarch (or flour), and celery salt. Cook for one minute. Mix well and pour in the Guinness beer.
Cover the skillet with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375 F.
After simmering, stir the peas into the beef mixture. Spoon the mixture into an 8x8 baking dish (approximately 8×8 inches).
Spread the mashed potatoes on top, to completely cover the meat mixture. If you prefer, you can take a fork and make a fun design on top of the mashed potatoes. They will be stacked high.
Sprinkle lightly with a small amount of paprika.
Bake until the top of the potatoes start to brown, and the meat mixture is heated through, for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and add a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.