American Shepherd’s Pie (Cottage Pie)

Big Guy and I started reading the Irish Country Doctor series years ago which prompted me to explore Irish cooking. One of my favorite meals is Shepherd’s Pie. It is like a casserole with a meat and vegetable filling and whipped potatoes and cheese used as a topping. I admit I did adjust the recipe to use beef instead of lamb as the author noted it was an appropriate substitution.

It has become a special meal I tend to make each year and not just for St. Patrick’s Day! In fact, several years ago we invited some colleagues over for dinner and decided to make an Irish meal with Shepherd’s Pie as the star. Two of our guests were born and raised in the South and taught this cook a new lesson.

Did you know Irish Shephard’s Pie is made with lamb and American Shepherd’s pie, also known as Cottage Pie, is made with ground beef? It seems this dish is perfect to make when you have leftover beef and vegetables. I was a little embarrassed that my dish appeared to be made with leftovers, but I made up for it with my Jameson’s Cake!