Easy Shepherd’s Pie with Red Wine

My favorite sides for this recipe are beet salad with apple cider vinaigrette and roasted Brussels sprouts. I also like to serve it with French green beans with shallots and sesame ginger sauce!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

It feeds a big crowd – It’s a perfect meal for a big, hungry family or potluck dinner. Especially when served with a salad and side dish, you can easily serve 6-8 people! 

Leftovers are just as tasty – I would even say it’s tastier when reheated! The top gets even crispier when it’s been double-baked.

It’s both easy and elegant – You can feel confident serving this as a casual family meal or impressive Christmas dinner! The red wine adds an elegant richness that makes this a perfectly rustic dinner party main course.

Ingredient Notes

Mushrooms – I used baby bella mushrooms, but you can also use white or chopped portobello mushrooms as well.

Tomato Paste – You can also use ketchup, but tomato paste makes the flavor richer.

Frozen Peas – Either use frozen or freshly-podded peas (not canned). If they’re canned, they’ll just turn to mush when mixed in.

Yukon Gold Potatoes – You don’t have to peel Yukon Gold potatoes if you don’t want to. The skins are thin enough that if you intend to pipe the mashed potatoes, they should easily go through a wide piping tip. You can also use red or russet potatoes if you like, but if you use russet, you’ll just have to peel them first.

Dubliner Cheese – This is a perfect cheese for an Irish shepherd’s pie, but you can also feel free to use white cheddar, gruyere or parmesan.

Ground Beef – You can use half ground beef and half ground lamb for a more complex flavor.

Red Wine – You can use any full-bodied, dry red wine like Cabernet, Syrah, Pino Noir, Tempranillo, or Zinfandel.

How to Make Red Wine Shepherd’s Pie – Step by Step

1. Bring 3-4 quarts of water to a boil.

2. Slice 4-6 Yukon Gold potatoes into 4ths and add to water when boiling. Allow them to boil for 15-20 minutes, checking for doneness with a fork after 15 minutes.

3. Slice 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms (I slice in 3rds then cut larger slices in half), dice 1 large carrot (I dice in 4ths and larger ones in 6ths), and dice 1 large red onion. You can combine carrots and onions, but keep mushrooms separate.

4. Grate 1 cup Dubliner cheese. Set aside.

5. Add carrots and onions to a large sauté pan with 2 tbsp. olive oil. Sauté for 7-10 minutes until onions are tender and lightly brown. Don’t worry if the carrots aren’t fully cooked. They’ll be perfect once baked. Remove from pan.

6. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil to the sauté pan and sliced mushrooms. Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes.

7. Once mushrooms are brown, add 1 pound ground beef. Sauté until brown, then add 1 tsp. black pepper, ½ tsp. salt, 1 tsp. garlic powder and leaves from 3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme. Add back carrots and onions with 2 tbsp. butter, 1 cup frozen peas and 2 tbsp. flour. Stir until butter is melted.

8. Preheat oven to 400 F. (204 C.) By this time, potatoes should be ready. Strain and allow them to steam off while you continue with the filling.

9. To the pan, add 1 cup red wine, 1 cup beef stock, 1 tbsp. tomato paste and 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce. Stir and allow liquids to reduce into a sauce. About 8-10 minutes.

10. While sauce thickens, mash potatoes with a potato masher. Add a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste, grated Dubliner cheese, and ½ cup heavy cream. Depending on the size of your potatoes, you may need to add more cream to get them to a nice, smooth texture. 

11. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat and spoon into an 8″x8″ pyrex dish or oven-safe bowls.

12. Pipe or spoon mashed potatoes onto the meat filling and brush with 1 beaten egg. Sprinkle with a little more Dubliner cheese and bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 5 minutes – or turn heat to 550 F. (287 C.) if you don’t have a broil function. Carefully remove and serve.

A Few Tips

1. Use your biggest pan. I used a 15-inch pan, and the ingredients really fill it up, so make sure to use your biggest, deepest pan.

2. If you don’t have a pastry-piping bag, you can either spoon the potatoes on with as many hills and valleys as you can make (the more texture, the more crispy tastiness), or you can use a fork to make a pretty criss-cross pattern. I really prefer piping though. It really makes the pie gorgeous!

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