If you’re looking for a special dish to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, here’s a recipe that is tasty and authentic. It came to our Test Kitchen from an expert chef whose mother made it for her when she was growing up on an Irish farm. So, let’s find out how to make Irish Shepherd’s Pie from Ballyknocken.
BACKGROUND
Hi! Chef Blondie here.
I had the wonderful good fortune to meet Catherine Fulvio in 2009. She is an Irish TV chef, food writer, author, and proprietor of Ballyknocken House and Cookery School. It was at her cookery school that I learned how to make scones. That’s a day I will always treasure.
Catherine was born and raised at Ballyknocken, a working farm. She recalls how, whenever there was need for a tasty comforting dish, her mother always returned to her family Cottage Pie recipe. Catherine says it brings back fond memories of growing up on the farm.”
Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie on St. Patrick’s Day?
Most of us are familiar with the tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. To be sure, it is the most common dish to be served. However, Catherine Fulvio suggested to the audience of NBC’s Today Show that they make her recipe for Cottage Pie instead. So, if an Irish chef can recommend this dish for St. Patrick’s Day, so can we.
If you have Catherine’s Cottage Pie recipe, you’re more than halfway to Irish Shepherd’s Pie. Here’s how Catherine explains it.
“Sometimes we swapped the beef for lamb – to make a yummy Shepherd’s Pie. Some people would argue how traditional Irish is this, but hey, I was reared on it, so it is in my book!”
That, dear friends, is why we at the soon-to-be-world-famous Serendipity Farmhouse Test Kitchen decided to test of Shepherd’s Pie from Ballyknocken.
A Good Friend, A Fantastic Trip, and a Cooking Class
You may be wondering how it was I came to be in Ireland those many years ago. It’s a very long story. So, let me shorten it down to a single word – ‘Nancy’. Yes, meeting Chef Fulvio, staying in the finest hotel in Dublin, and seeing the many beautiful sights of Ireland were all due to my dear friend of almost 40 years, Nancy.
By a virtual lightning strike of pure Serendipity, Nancy received two round-trip, all-expenses-paid, tickets to Dublin. We stayed at the best hotel ever, the five-star Shelbourne Hotel. And included in this windfall from heaven, there was a full day of learning and fun at the Ballyknocken House and Cookery School. – Nancy, thank you for asking me to join you. It was the trip of a lifetime!
Here are pictures from that most memorable day at the Ballyknocken Cookery School.
Irish Shepherd's Pie from Ballyknocken
Notes
Catherine Fulvio's original recipe was for Cottage Pie. That's because it used ground beef. We simply substituted ground lamb. According to Catherine, that substitution transforms her recipe into a Shepherd's Pie recipe.
Ingredients
For the Filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb. (500g) lean ground lamb (or beef for cottage pie)
- 2 chopped garlic cloves
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk, finely sliced
- 2 tsp chopped thyme
- 1 tsp chopped rosemary
- 5 tbsp peas
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 cup (100 ml) red wine
- 1¼ cup (300 ml) beef stock
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
For the Mashed Potatoes
- 2¼ lbs. (1 kg) potatoes, peeled and diced
- 7 fl. oz. (200ml) cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3½ oz. (100g) Irish cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 egg yolks, beaten well
- Salt and pinch white pepper
Instructions
For the Filling
- Heat some oil in a stovetop-to-oven casserole dish or a skillet pan.
- Add the ground lamb with salt and pepper and brown. Remove the lamb from the pan onto a clean plate.
- Add a little more oil, then the onions. Sauté until softened but not brown.
- Add the rosemary, thyme, garlic, carrots, and celery and cook for 3 minutes.
- Return the browned lamb to the pan.
- Add the flour and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Stir in the tomato puree.
- Add in the red wine and cook for about 4 minutes.
- Then pour in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add in the peas and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring from time-to-time.
- Check for seasoning adding more salt or pepper as needed.
For the Mashed Potatoes
- Meanwhile, place the diced potatoes into a steamer and cook until just soft.
- Mash the potatoes or spoon them into a potato ricer and press into a bowl.
- Warm the cream and butter gently.
- Pour the cream and butter into the potatoes, season with salt and white pepper to taste.
- Stir in the beaten egg yolks and mix well.
For Finishing
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C/fan).
- Pipe or spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the lamb, sprinkle the cheddar cheese over and place in the oven for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
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You’re very welcome. It was a memorable trip! Thank you for sharing the recipe, Chef.
Thank you,Nancy!!!Hugs & love!!!
Not sure the year of the trip but seems to me Pete mentioned it at the time. Fantastic trip and from comments of our son and his wife is their ‘favorite destination’. Also, been hearing about Shepherd’s Pie and now have your special recipe. Thanks Char !
It was in September of 2009.Ireland is such a beautiful country.Nancy and I had tea and cakes in a little tea shop in Dublin.Such a memorable trip.