Mini Shepherd's Pie Bites
Individual muffin-tin shepherd's pies packed with seasoned ground lamb and vegetables, topped with creamy mashed potato and baked golden.
Ingredients
- 1 lbground lamb
- 1 wholeyellow onion(finely diced)
- 0.5 cupfrozen peas
- 2 wholecarrots(peeled and small diced)
- 1 tbsptomato paste
- 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
- 0.5 cupbeef broth
- 1 lbrusset potatoes(peeled, boiled, and mashed)
- 3 tbspunsalted butter
- 0.75 tspkosher salt
- 0.5 tspblack pepper
📝 Make Ahead
Filling can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Mash potatoes fresh on party day for best texture. Assembled bites can be refrigerated up to 4 hours before baking.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Boil potatoes until tender, drain, and mash with butter, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Brown ground lamb in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat. Add onion and carrots and cook 5 minutes until softened.
- Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Simmer 5 minutes until slightly thickened. Add peas, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.
- Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin. Fill each cup two-thirds full with the lamb mixture.
- Top each cup with a generous spoonful of mashed potato. Use a fork to create texture on the surface.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until tops are golden and potato is lightly browned. Let cool 5 minutes before removing with a small offset spatula.
💡 Pro Tips
Do not skip the rest time after baking — the filling needs to set before you can cleanly remove the bites from the muffin tin. Run a small knife or offset spatula around the edge of each cup before lifting out.
📜 History
Shepherd's pie has roots in the British Isles dating to the late 18th century, when resourceful cooks used leftover roasted meat topped with mashed potato as an economical meal. The traditional distinction is that shepherd's pie is made with lamb, while cottage pie uses beef — since shepherds tended sheep, not cattle. The dish became especially popular in Ireland and Britain during the 19th century when it provided a filling meal from inexpensive ingredients.
Also pairs well with:
Share this page