Shepards Pie is a big deal in our house these days as it’s the FIRST time I made one dinner (for my husband and the kids) and all 4 of us ate it! Big win. Huge.
Below are two options for the potato layer:
- Regular mashed potatoes made in the pressure cooker/instant pot. Remember! You can eat nightshades (which are typically high in lectins) if you cook them in a pressure cooker.
- Cauliflower Mash for those of who don’t have a pressure cooker/instant pot and are avoiding nightshades.
Before we get into the details, here is a list of ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced (if your kids are particular to the sight of onions, dice them super small)
- 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger (optional)
- 1 lb of grass-fed ground beef or ground lamb
- 1 large handful of diced carrots
- 1 large handful of chopped celery
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 cup organic beef broth
If you’re doing cauliflower mash:
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 2 tbsp of grass fed butter or ghee
- 1 tbsp full fat sour cream (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp garlic salt/powder
- handful of fresh grated parmesan cheese (Italian imported)
If you’re doing potato mash:
- 5-6 medium sized yellow potatoes (skinned and quartered)
- 2 tbsp grass fed butter or ghee
- 1 tbsp full fat sour cream (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp garlic salt/powder
- handful of fresh grated parmesan cheese (Italian imported)
DIRECTIONS
One thing! I know this appears like a lot of steps (especially for the mash) but I promise it is all very simple and fairly quick.
Also! This is a dish you can make the night before, or the morning of. Once prepared, you can cover or place in the fridge until you are ready to eat. Just remember to leave enough time to pre-heat your oven and then cook for 30 minutes.
Step 1: Make your mash and set aside.
For potato mash (in the instant pot; if you don’t have an instant pot then make cauliflower mash below):
- Place the peeled and quartered potatoes into the bottom of the instant pot (feel free to use the trivet if you want but it’s not necessary)
- Cover potatoes with water (there should be at least 1 inch of water above the potatoes) and add 1 teaspoon of salt
- Place the lid on the instant pot and set the valve to seal – i.e. lock the lid
- Cook on manual, high pressure for 8 minutes
- When the timer goes off, turn the instant pot off
- Quick release the pressure from the pot
- Once the pressure is released, transfer potatoes to a mixing bowl
- Add 2 tbsp grass fed butter or ghee, garlic powder, dashes of salt & pepper
- Mash with a “masher” or use a hand held blender
- Taste and add any additional seasonings to taste as well as butter or sour cream to get the texture of your preference (obviously the more butter and/or sour cream, the creamier); some people love the addition of sour cream but I have found that you can make delicious, creamy mashed potatoes with just butter and a good hand held blender
For cauliflower mash:
- Wash and then break/chop your cauliflower into florets (remove any long stems)
- Boil for 10 minutes (or steam for 5-10 minutes); cauliflower is cooked when you can pierce easily with a fork; don’t over cook the cauliflower otherwise it will be too watery when you mash it (as I learned from my mistake)
- Drain cauliflower and let stand for a few minutes – this allows excess moisture to be reabsorbed making for less watery mash
- Transfer cauliflower to a mixing bowl
- Add 2 tbsp grass fed butter or ghee, garlic powder, dashes of salt & pepper
- Mash with a “masher” or use a hand held blender (ideally a hand held blender for better texture)
- Taste and add any additional seasonings to taste as well as additional butter or sour cream to get the texture of your preference (obviously the more butter and/or sour cream, the creamier)
Step 2: Make your ground beef base
- Pre-heat your oven to 350F
- Heat the olive oil in a very large fry or sauce pan over medium heat
- Add the onions and garlic, sauté until onions are soft and fragrant (few minutes)
- NB! I also add a tbsp of minced ginger; it’s not enough to alter the flavour but just enough to add extra anti-inflammatory goodness – totally optional
- Add carrots and celery and sauté a few more minutes
- Add the ground beef, sauté until browned
- Add all your seasonings
- Add broth and cook down (simmer; low heat) until broth mostly evaporates (if after 20 minutes there is still liquid, just drain any excess from the pan)
- NB! At this point you want to taste your beef and add any extra seasonings to please your tastebuds; I tend to add more seasonings than the amounts listed (including more garlic) but you should let your tastebuds decide how much salt, pepper, etc., to add. I also sometimes throw in a little coriander and oregano. Again – it’s up to you!
Step 3: Assemble and Bake
- Pour beef mixture into a 9 x 9 baking dish
- Pour and spread potato or cauliflower mash over the beef
- Bake at 350F for 25 minutes
- After 25 minutes, pull the dish out and sprinkle with freshly shredded parmesan cheese. Turn your oven to broil and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes until cheese melted and/or browned.
- Serve and enjoy!
Please let me know if you make this!! Comment here or on Instagram! Many thanks 🙂
And remember, I am here to help! Don’t hesitate to email me with any questions.
Cheers!
Karli