Any holiday that celebrates beer is my kind of holiday! Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up, so if you’re anything like me, planning stout-infused comfort food is a source of excitement. Meat, veggies and potatoes, the color green, rabble rousing, feasting and beer beer beer! Yes, St. Paddy’s Day is my every day kind of day.
The only thing better than one Shepherd’s Pie is twwwwwwwwo Shepherd’s Pies! Sooooo…I have a special treat for you! Shepherd’s Pie TWO (dos deux zwei) ways! Shepherd’s Pie has been a favorite of mine ever since I could mash a tater. I made a Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie Recipe for Food Fanatic and then two days later, I made a Turkey Shepherd’s Pie. Both delicious. Both satisfying. Both stout-infused. MMM!
The Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie is made with root veggies and mushrooms for a hearty, filling meal. I adapted the recipe from Feasting at Home’s Vegan Shepherdless Pie, which calls for sun chokes. Unfortunately, there was not a sun choke in town, so I replaced them with turnips.
In order to yin the yang, I made a meat-filled Shepherd’s Pie for my lovekin and his family two days later and the whole thing (save for a small corner of the casserole dish) was devoured, snippety snap. In short: delicious.
No Saint Patrick’s Day would be complete without Irish Soda Bread. Try my recipe for Gluten-Free Cheese & Herb Irish Soda Bread! So easy, so yeast-free, so crusty, everything a great bread should be.
Hop over to Food Fanatic for my Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie Recipe.
Annnnd for the Turkey version, see my recipe below!
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2 carrots peeled and chooped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 celery stocks chopped
- 2 cups green beans or peas
- 6 leaves rainbow chard chopped (about 4 cups, packed)
- 1 pound ground turkey or lamb
- 1 cup Guinness
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons brown rice flour or regular flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 6 red potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup aged white cheddar cheese grated
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop the red potatoes in half, leaving the peel on (peel-in mashed taters are wunderbar!).
- Bring a full pot of water to a boil and add the 6 red potatoes. Allow potatoes to cook until they’re tender yet still firm when poked with a fork, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Strain the water off the potatoes and allow potatoes to cool slightly.
- Place the potatoes in a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher. I like leaving the potatoes chunky for shepherd’s pie, but if you prefer smooth potatoes, you can also do this process in a blender. Add the olive oil and cheese and mash to incorporate. Salt the potatoes to taste. If the potatoes are too dry, add some milk to reach your desired consistency.
- Set potatoes aside.
- In a large pot, sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until it begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the carrots and sauté until onion begins turning brown, about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and continue to sauté about 2 minutes before adding the celery and green beans.
- Cook about 3 to 5 minutes before adding the ground turkey. Push veggies to the sides of the pot and add the ground turkey. Allow the turkey to brown but avoid cooking it all the way through just yet. (You can also brown the turkey in a separate skillet if there is not enough room in the pot to adequately brown the meat).
- Add the Guinness and balsamic vinegar and allow the mixture to come to a gentle boil.
- Make a roux in a small separate saucepan. Heat the butter over medium until it’s melted. Add the brown rice flour and whisk it into the butter until completely smooth. begin adding the chicken broth a little at a time (about 1/8 cup), allowing the mixture to thicken and bubble between adds. Continue adding the chicken broth and keep the mixture at a gentle boil, whisking constantly until all the broth is all incorporated. The mixture should be thick and creamy.
- Add the roux in with the meat/vegetables. Stir to incorporate and allow the mixture to return to a gentle boil.
- Add in the kale leaves and cook until the vegetables are all soft (but not mushy!) and the turkey meat is cooked all the way through. This took me about another 10 minutes, but depending on the size of your veggies, this could take longer!
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- Pour the stew into a casserole dish.
- Spread the mashed potatoes over the stew evenly.
- Bake in the oven until the stew begins to bubble and the potatoes crisp up on the tops, about 30 to 40 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve in bowls with a hearty slice of Irish Soda Bread!
Nutrition
I made this for dinner last evening and the Irish Soda bread. It was very tasty and delicious. We do not eat white potatoes so I made mashed cauliflower for the topping. I learned a trick recently after you drain the cauliflower turn burner off and sit pan back on burner with cauliflowe and the heat will pull out the excess water. I used the olive oil and cheeses like the recipe. We were able to freeze some for another day.
This looks so yummy and perfect comfort food for the cold weather. Might make this at the weekend, Yum !
This is one gorgeous shepherds pie! I have a vegetarian one going up on my blog Monday. I’m wishing I had added some beer to it!
Delicious comfort food! This really looks like a perfect recipe that I must try out soon, I am a huge shepherds pie fan!
Vegetarian for me, please. It looks delicious!
I’ve always like the concept of shepard’s pie, but I’ve never had because it always seems to be made with meat. The turnip roasted vegetable version sounds delicious.
Ooh YUMM. I’ve had a vegetarian shepherds pie booked to make for the longest time, but I just had to stop by and say that your photos are fabulous! I love the gorgeous lighting in the first photo…I’m feeling a cozy afternoon that’s just perfect for diving into that crusty top with a big fork!
Wheeeee! I love dishes like this for St. Paddy’s Day! Crack a beer, gimme a shovel… I’m goin in!
Thanks for the link to the vegetarian version. I used to love Shepherd’s Pie when I ate meat, so I will absolutely have to give the meat-free version a try :).
First of all, great pictures (I should mention it every time I leave a comment on your blog). Second of all, that casserole dish is beautiful and last but not least your Shepherd’s Pie looks truly amazing. I happen to have fresh ground lamb in the fridge and I was thinking on new ways of using it, so you recipe is right in time :).
I want to eat shepherds pie and drink beer with you on St. Patricks Day! These look delicious!
Back atcha! I can just picture us with out big ol’ beers and a heaping bowlful of Shepherd’s Pie chatting it up over skype. In person would be much better though 😉
I love using stout beer in recipes.. adds so much flavor!! This looks and sounds great. I love that there is a meatless option.
Vegetarian shepherd’s pie? yes yes yes. This will definitely be devoured this weekend! Looks so yummy
P.S. your recipe on this page is titled vegetarian instead of meaty-ness.
LOL, thanks so much for the correction, Kelly. My head hasn’t exactly been screwed on straight lately, so I appreciate the help! Let me know if you try it!