Irish Shepherd’s Pie With Guinness

Irish Shepherd’s Pie With Guinness

 

Ingredients

3 tablespoons Olive oil

2 lb Lean ground beef or Lamb (i've even used turkey)

1/4 teaspoon Sea salt and pepper (to season meat)

1 Onion (large)

2 teaspoons Minced garlic

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 to 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup Guinness stout

1 teaspoon Dried thyme

1 teaspoon Dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon Dried sage

1/2 teaspoon Dried marjoram

12 oz Peas and carrots (frozen)

3 lb Russet potatoes

2 oz Kerrygold Butter (1/4 stick)

1/4 to 1/2 cup Low-fat sour cream

1 cup White Kerrygold cheddar cheese (grated)

Gravy

2 packets Brown gravy mix

1 and 1/2 cup Water

3 fl oz Guinness stout

1 teaspoon Tomato paste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon Brown Sugar

Directions

Step 1	Peel and cube the potatoes and place them in a large saucepan. Cover them with water. Turn the heat on high and set them to boil. Add some salt to the cooking water. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer. After 15 to 20 minutes they should be fork tender and ready to be drained.
Step 2	While the potatoes are boiling, season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Brown the beef in two to three batches, depending upon the size of your skillet. Strain the beef through a colander to drain off the excess fat. Set aside.
Step 3	Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan and brown the onions and garlic in the skillet.
Step 4	Return the beef to the skillet with the onions. Next add the Dijon mustard, the Guinness, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth. Stir well.
Step 5	Add the thyme, parsley, sage and marjoram. Stir to disperse them throughout the beef broth.
Step 6	While the meat sauce is reducing over low heat, strain the potatoes when tender. Mash well or pass them through a potato ricer. Add the butter and half the sour cream. Mash thoroughly, adding additional sour cream as necessary to smooth the consistency of the mashed potatoes.
Step 7	When the meat mixture has thickened nicely, pour it into the bottom of a greased 2-quart glass baking dish (8″ x 11″). Top the meat layer with thawed peas and carrots, spreading them evenly over the surface of the meat. At this point you can add a bit of the Guinness gravy. Spoon the mashed potato over the vegetable layer and spread gently over the top.
Step 8	Place the shepherd’s pie in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees F. Cook for 15 minutes before adding a layer of grated cheese. Return to the oven and bake for a further 20 to 30 minutes. The shepherd’s pie is ready when the surface is golden brown and crisping at the edges. Remove it from the oven. To make Guinness gravy.
Step 1	Add the brown gravy packets to the water in a saucepan over high heat. Whisk in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Guinness and brown sugar. Keep whisking the gravy as it comes to the boil. Remove from the heat once it starts to bubble.
Step 2	Using a metal serving spatula, divide the shepherd's pie into 6 to 8 rectangular servings. Serve with gravy poured over top, if desired.