Shepherd’s pie is a signature dish in the pubs of England and Ireland, sometimes made with lamb, as here, and sometimes with beef, in which case it is called cottage pie. The idea is the same: a simple meat pie made with a mirepoix—onion, carrot, celery—under a top crust of mashed potatoes. There’s no cheese in the mashed potatoes, but when the pie is baked, the crust is somehow enriched through the alchemy of cooking and tastes as though there were. Shepherd’s pie is usually made with leftover cooked lamb. Swapping that for quick and easy homemade lamb sausage is my revisionism, to give the humble pie a fresh and lively taste. Also, to gussy it up, I use tiny pearl onions so the onion element has a more defined presence in the pie. The horseradish is also my whim, to give the dish an acrid lilt that helps lift it above what might otherwise be humdrum fare. Fresh horseradish root is often available in produce stores and supermarkets around Passover for Jewish customers; wasabi root, though not exactly the same botanically, is similar and it is available around the New Year for Japanese customers. Like fresh ginger, horseradish root can be stored in the refrigerator almost indefinitely, as long as it is kept dry.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Preparation
Step 1
To make the crust, peel the potatoes and cut them into 1 1/2-inch chunks. Place them in a pot, add water to cover generously and a large pinch of salt, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil briskly until the potatoes are a bit beyond fork-tender, almost collapsing, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and, while the potatoes are still moist, return them to the pot. Let cool briefly until no longer steaming. Add the milk, butter, and horseradish and mash with a potato masher or sturdy wire whisk until no longer chunky, almost creamy. Whisk in 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper, taste, and adjust the seasoning with more salt and pepper if desired. Set aside in a warm place.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Step 3
To make the filling, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pearl onions, carrots, and celery, stir to mix, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the lamb sausage and continue cooking, stirring to break up the clumps, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the thyme, tomato paste, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and water and stir to mix. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.
Step 4
To assemble the pie, transfer the filling to a 2-quart baking dish, preferably one that can segue from oven to table for ease of serving. Spread the mashed potatoes across the top and, with a fork or spoon, lift them into decorative peaks here and there.
Step 5
Bake until the top is golden around the edges and across the peaks, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot, directly from the baking dish.
