Corned Beef Shepherd’s Pie

As Saint Patrick’s Day approached, I asked Brian if he wanted me to pick up a corned beef for the occasion.  It wasn’t so much of a question as a formality; I wanted corned beef and the chances of my not buying one were slim.  As I mentioned on Sunday, I am a huge fan of corned beef.  Luckily, Brian said yes.  But he’s not as big on corned beef as I am and he requested that I do something different with it this time – what about corned beef shepherd’s pie?

It was sort of a silly request: I think I may have made shepherd’s pie once in the course of our entire almost five year marriage.  It’s not something I really know how to make normally, never mind with corned beef.  Nevertheless, we decided to give it a shot.  I cooked the corned beef in the crockpot during the day, the way I make it every year, then shredded it up, added some additional ingredients, topped it with potatoes and baked it.

And, a bit to my surprise, it was pretty awesome.  In an ideal world, I would’ve posted this recipe on or before Saint Patrick’s Day.  But that’s not how thing’s work around here.   I just made it today, because I’ve been out the past two nights and I knew shepherd’s pie wasn’t happening then.  So, if this looks good to you, see if your supermarket has any corned beef left…or save the recipe for next year.

Corned Beef Shepherd’s Pie

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 30 mins

Ingredients

  

• 1 package corned beef The time for this recipe does not include corned beef cooking time
• 1 pound potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 1 onion
• 1 garlic clove
• vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

 

To cook your corned beef

• I made mine in the slow cooker while I was at work. 8-10 hours on the low setting should accomplish the job. No additional liquid is needed. When the corned beef is cooked (whatever method you choose), slice it with the grain so it shreds into small pieces.

To make the Shepherd's Pie

• Peel the potatoes and roughly chop. In a medium pot, cover the potatoes with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the temperature so that the potatoes are at a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
• While the potatoes cook, finely chop the onion and slice the carrots. Cook the onion and carrots in a large skillet on medium heat in a tablespoon of vegetable oil until the onions are soft. Add the crushed clove of garlic and continue to cook for about 1 minute.
• Add the corned beef to the skillet, along with the frozen corn kernels. Mix and cook until warmed through.
  
• Sprinkle the flour into the corned beef mixture. Toss to combine. Add 1 cup of beef broth and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer and allow to cook until the mixture becomes gravy-like.
• When the potatoes are done, drain them. Return them to the pot and mash them. You can follow your usual mashed potato routine here, but we added about 1 tablespoon of butter and a half cup of milk. Set the mashed potatoes aside.
• When your mashed potatoes and your beef mixture are both ready to go, it's time to assemble the shepherd's pie. Pour the beef mixture into an 8x8" glass pan and smooth it out with a spatula. Top the beef with the mashed potatoes and smooth them out as well.
• Bake the shepherd's pie for 15 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or until the beef mixture is boiling. To brown the top, broil the pie for about 5 minutes or until the potatoes are browned.
• Remove from the oven, allow to sit for at least 5 minutes, serve and enjoy!