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Shepherd's Pie with Cheddar Mashed Potato Top

Shepherd's Pie with Cheddar Mashed Potato Top reads umami 8.0, richness 6.1 and salinity 4.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a American main, about 1 hr 5 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.6 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 4.3 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.6 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.1 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.5 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.0 · Richness 6.1 · Salinity 4.2 · Allium 4.0 · Sweetness 3.9 · Sourness 2.4 · Funk & Ferment 2.1 · Earthy 1.9 · Fruity 1.4 · Herbaceous 1.3 · Bitterness 1.3 · Warm Spice 1.3 · Nutty 1.3 · Heat 0.7 · Floral 0.6 · Citrus 0.6

What's in it (17)

• russet potato — 907 g
• salt — 7 g
• unsalted butter — 27 g
• regular milk — 118 g
• shredded sharp process cheese — 142 g
• olive oil — 27 g
• beef — 680 g
• yellow onion — 110 g
• carrots — 120 g
• celery — 80 g
• garlic — 9 g
• tomato paste — 30 g
• all-purpose flour — 15 g
• beef broth — 237 g
• worcestershire sauce — 15 g
• frozen peas — 237 g
• black pepper — 3 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 5 min (58 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 123.8 kcal, 10.5 g protein, 4.3 g fat, 12.8 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot with 1/2 tsp of the salt; cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook until a fork slides in easily, 15-18 minutes.
2. While the potatoes cook, heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, breaking it into small pieces, and cook undisturbed as much as possible until deeply browned with no pink remaining, 7-8 minutes.
3. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the skillet with the beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the onion turns translucent, 6-7 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until the paste darkens slightly and smells toasted rather than raw, 1-2 minutes.
5. Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and cook, stirring, for 1 minute to cook off the raw flour taste. Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet, then simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 4-5 minutes.
6. Stir in the peas, then remove the skillet from the heat and season the filling with 1/2 tsp of the remaining salt and the black pepper, to taste.
7. Drain the potatoes well and return them to the hot pot. Add 2 tbsp of the butter and the warm milk; mash until smooth, then fold in 1 cup of the cheddar and season with the last 1/2 tsp salt, to taste.
8. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spread the beef filling in an even layer in a 9x13-inch baking dish (or leave it in an oven-safe skillet).
9. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling in mounds, then spread to the edges to seal in the filling and swirl the surface with the back of a fork; sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheddar.
10. Bake until the potato top is golden brown in spots and the filling bubbles at the edges, 20-25 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Macaroni Beef — American
• Italian Wedding Soup — Italian
• Bosanski Lonac (The Bosnian Pot) — Bosnian
• Beef and Guinness Shepherd's Pie Stew — Irish
• Sunday Sauce with Braised Meatballs — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.