We all have our go-to comfort foods, and for me personally, shepherd’s pie is one of my favorite go-to comfort foods of an evening. This recipe is likely a little different than the shepherd pie you have previously cooked. First off, the beef mince is cooked through with a bottle of Guinness, and the flavors work really well together. Then the pie itself is cooked on a pellet smoker with some Hickory pellets for a touch of smoke flavor. Fantastic!
Tap/Click above to watch the recipe or scroll below to see the steps: Video – Traeger.com
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Step 1: First, peel and then cut up three large Russet potatoes into 1-inch pieces and place in a pan, then cover with water and a little salt to season.
Step 2: You’ll want to boil the potato pieces until they are soft, testing them with a fork as they cook. This will probably take around 15 minutes.
Step 3: Once cooked, drain the water from the pan and add around one and a half cups of shredded cheddar cheese.
Step 4: Next, add 4 ounces (8 Tbsp) of butter, cut into several pieces to make it easier to work with. You’ll also want to add half a cup of milk and just a touch of salt.
Step 5: Then get your potato masher and give all the ingredients a proper smash together. You’ll notice the heat of the potatoes and the smashing develop the cheese into those lovely strings.
Step 6: Next, its time to cook the ground beef (80/20 ideally) in a pan at medium heat, first add just a drop of olive oil and then season the beef with a little Kosher salt and black pepper.
Step 7: You’ll want to break up the ground beef and keep in moving in the pan as it cooks so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.
Step 8: Once the ground beef has been cooked through and browned all over remove it from the pan and place it into a bowl.
Step 9: Have one medium yellow onion diced up and ready to go into the pan after the beef has been taken out, and it will cook in the leftover beef juices. Then cook the diced onion until tender.
Step 10: The next step is to add around two tablespoons of tomato paste and two tablespoons of all-purpose flour and stir through the onion. You’re looking for the mixture to turn a rusty color.
Step 11: One at that rust-colored stage, you’ll then add half a cup of beef stock and stir through.
Step 12: It’s now time for the good stuff when you’ll add around 12 Ounces of Guinness Extra Stout into the pan, along with two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce for an extra flavor boost.
Step 13: When the Guinness and onions are up to a simmer its then time to reintroduce the cooked ground beef and stir through.
Step 14: Then add a 16-oz bag of frozen peas and carrots for additional flavor and texture, along with two teaspoons of freshly chopped thyme.
Step 15: Simmer the completed Shepheard’s Pie mixture until the liquid is reduced by half, which will probably take around 15 minutes on medium to low heat.
Step 16: Empty the Shepheard Pie mixture out into a suitably sized baking dish, something around 9 by 13 inches should do, and spread it evenly across the base of the dish.
Step 17: It’s now simply a case of adding the cheesy mashed potatoes on top and smoothing it evenly with the back of the spoon.
Step 18: For this recipe, the Shepheard’s Pie then went into a pellet smoker pre-heated to 350 degrees for 15 minutes and cooked with some Hickory pellets, which work well with red meat, in this case beef.
Step 19: This is the end result, a fantastic cheesy mash Shepherd’s Pie with the taste of Guinness and smoked with Hickory pellets, an excellent comfort food option.
Hi, I’m Chris Scott. I started PelHeat.com back in 2007 and I have a background in pellet manufacturing. PelHeat.com is an educational resource on BBQ pellets, pellet grills & smokers. Check out our Pellet Grill & Smoker Database.
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