How To Make The Top Of Shepherd’S Pie Crispy

Expert’s answer:

To make the top of Shepherd’s Pie crispy, there are a few techniques you can try. Here are some tips:

1. Use a creamy mashed potato topping:

  • A creamy mashed potato topping is key to achieving a crispy top on Shepherd’s Pie. The creamier the mashed potatoes, the easier they will spread and crisp up in the oven.

2. Spread the mashed potatoes properly:

  • Start by spreading a ring of mashed potatoes around the edges of the dish, using the side of the dish to scrape the mash off the spatula. Then, work your way into the middle, ensuring that the mashed potatoes encase the dish without pushing the filling up the sides.

3. Fork the top:

  • Use a fork to create ridges on the mashed potato topping. This will allow it to go more golden brown and crisp up as it bakes.

4. Drizzle with butter and cheese:

  • For an extra crispy and flavorful top, drizzle the mashed potato topping with a bit of melted butter and sprinkle some grated cheese, such as parmesan or cheddar, on top. The butter will help with browning and the cheese will add a delicious crispy texture.

5. Bake at a high temperature:

  • Preheat your oven to a high temperature, such as 400°F (200°C). This will help to crisp up the top of the Shepherd’s Pie.

6. Broil for a few minutes:

  • If you want an even crispier top, you can place the Shepherd’s Pie under the broiler for a couple of minutes after baking. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.

Remember, these tips can help you achieve a crispy top for your Shepherd’s Pie. Feel free to experiment and adjust the techniques to your liking. Enjoy your delicious Shepherd’s Pie!

Literature on the topic

Once Upon a Chef: Weeknight/Weekend: 70 Quick-Fix Weeknight ... - Jennifer SegalOnce Upon a Chef: Weeknight/Weekend: 70 Quick-Fix Weeknight …
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Jamie's Comfort Food - Jamie OliverJamie’s Comfort Food
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Cook Once, Eat All Week: 26 Weeks of Gluten-Free, Affordable ... - Cassy Joy GarciaCook Once, Eat All Week: 26 Weeks of Gluten-Free, Affordable …
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How to make mashed potatoes crispy on top
How to make mashed potatoes crispy on top – (Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What position in the oven works best for pies?

Pies should ideally be baked on the bottom rack. Due to the pie filling’s high thermal insulation, the bottom crust cannot be cooked without additional heat applied to the pan’s base.

Some recipes advise baking cookies on the middle oven rack, while others advise baking pie on the bottom rack. You might then decide to bake a cake on the middle rack. What oven rack position should you bake with? Does the oven rack position matter?

I am disclosing that as an Amazon Associate, I make money from eligible purchases.

The middle and bottom racks in my oven are in their standard positions. These positions are used in most of my baking recipes. I may, however, use one or the other depending on the recipe, and they are not interchangeable.

What to put on top of shepherd's pie
What to put on top of shepherd’s pie – (Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Can shepherd’s pie be reheated multiple times?

Although most foods can be reheated more than once, it is best to only do so once, so it is advised that you divide large portions into smaller ones. It’s likely that each time you reheat and cool food, you’ll change its flavor and texture and raise the risk of bacteria growth.

We offer a variety of food safety courses, such as Food Safety and Hygiene Level 1, Food Hygiene Level 2 Online Course, Food Allergy Awareness, and Infection Prevention & Control. Our courses come with IOSH and IIRSM endorsements, and they are all CPD-accredited. Learn more about your legal obligations, your duties as an employer and an employee, and safe food handling and preparation practices. A selection of health and safety training courses are also available from us.

Alternative topping for cottage pie
Alternative topping for cottage pie – (Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Why does a pie crust become dry?

The instructions typically read something along the lines of: Stir in enough cold water, tossing with fork just until flour is moistened after you have cut the butter into the crust. The words “cold” water and “just until flour is moistened” should be highlighted because they are crucial. To keep the butter cold, it’s imperative to use cold water. In order to prevent softening and blending with the flour, the butter must remain solid. The secret to making the dough stick together is to hydrate the flour with just enough water to make it stick together, which may leave you wondering why you can’t use a spoon. Gently incorporating the water without completely mash it together requires tossing with a fork. Some of the butter chunks ought to sti
ll be visible. Squeeze a tiny bit of water together with your fingers each time you add more. You need to add a little more water if it crumbles.

Transferring the pie crust to the pie pan without having it tear or stick back together can be done using a few different methods. Again, it’s crucial to keep the dough chilled. Managing the dough will be challenging if the butter softens. Dust the top of the crust with a little flour before starting the transfer. The crust can be folded into quarters and moved gently to the pie pan, where the folded corner is placed in the pan’s center before being gently unfolded. Another choice is to roll the pie crust around a lightly dusted rolling pin before unrolling it into the pie plate.

To solve this common pie crust issue, there are a few things you can do. Use the pie plate rim to help hold the crust’s edges in place as you crimp it. The dough must be kept cold at all times (have we mentioned that yet?!). The pie should be chilled for 30 minutes just before baking to ensure the crust is cold. A few things can help when blind baking the crust without filling. With a fork, poke holes all over the crust. Pie weights or dried beans should be placed inside the crust after it has been covered with parchment paper. So that the sides don’t slump, make sure to fill the lined pie crust all the way to the edge of the pie plate.

Shepherd's pie gravy recipe
Shepherd’s pie gravy recipe – (Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Why is the filling in my shepherd’s pie soggy?

If you use inferior lamb mince (which may have additional water added), or if you use too much stock, your shepherd’s pie may end up being runny. if you don’t simmer or reduce for a long enough time.

  • One of the best and most popular British dishes is shepherd’s pie. But creating one if it’s going to be a gloppy, runny mess is pointless.
  • That’s why we’re about to give you a fantastic Shepherd’s Pie recipe, but first, some important advice on how to keep it from turning out runny.
  • Several factors could cause your shepherd’s pie to be runny.
Old fashioned shepherds pie recipe
Old fashioned shepherds pie recipe – (Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What degree of heat is ideal for pies?

1. Set the oven’s temperature according to your recipe’s instructions. The typical baking temperature for fruit pies is between 350°F and 450°F (or 175°C and 230°C). In some recipes, the pie is first baked at 450 degrees F, then at a lower temperature, typically 350 F. By doing this, you can prevent your crust from sagging in recipes that call for a lot of fat.

2. To give a double-crust or lattice-topped pie a richer color before baking, brush the top crust with milk or a lightly beaten egg. Check out How To Make A Lattice Pie Crust The Easy Way for more information.

3. Pies should always be baked on a baking sheet to avoid oven spills.

Do you put gravy on shepherds pie
Do you put gravy on shepherds pie – (Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Why does shepherd’s pie lack a crust?

In the beginning, leftover roast beef and a flavorful gravy were combined to make shepherd’s pies, which were then baked in pastry crusts. When the dish traveled from Scotland to Ireland, they omitted the pastry and used their plentiful supply of potatoes to make the contemporary mashed potato topping.

Over the years, our family’s preferred shepherd’s pie recipe has undergone many changes. The word “pie” likely derives from the bird known as the “magpie,” which is known for assembling a wide variety of objects in its nest. Early pie eaters are believed to have been equally indiscriminate with regard to the ingredients in their pies, baking them with anything from pigeons to crows. I’m glad to see that has changed as society.

Technically, a dish can only be referred to as shepherd’s pie if it contains lamb or mutton. These and other beef pies should all be referred to as cottage pies. You’ll have to call it Cumberland pie if you want to sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.

Best gravy for shepherds pie
Best gravy for shepherds pie – (Image Source: Pixabay.com)

How long should I bake a cooked pie?

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. On a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil, place the pie, turnovers, or other pastry. Lightly cover with foil. Heat for 15 to 20 minutes for a 9-inch pie. It will take roughly 12 to 15 minutes to bake a 5-inch pie, and 10 to 12 minutes to bake turnovers.

Better yet, try not to microwave your pie or pastry at all as it just doesn’t help the texture of the pastry. First, don’t microwave the metal tin. Here is the recommended heating technique.

Place the pie, turnovers, or pastry on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper or foil and lightly cover with foil.

Heat a 9-inch pie for 15 to 20 minutes. It will take 12 to 15 minutes to bake a 5-inch pie, and 10 to 12 minutes to bake turnovers. Use your best judgment because ovens vary. When checking to see if a pie is hot enough for your taste, take it out of the oven, insert a thin knife into the center, hold it there for 15 seconds, and then (gently!) move the knife to your lip.

Should shepherd’s pie be served hot?

When it’s time to bake, preheat the oven to 375 °F. Bake the thawed pie for 20 minutes, or until heated through (a food thermometer should read 165 °F), and the potatoes start to brown. Remove the foil and plastic wrap.

Shepherd's pie recipe
Shepherd’s pie recipe – (Image Source: Pixabay.com)

What can be done to fix a dry shepherd’s pie?

Let’s take a look at how you can reheat leftover shepherd’s pie in a pan over the stove:Melt some butter in a pan over medium heat. Smash some pie into the pan after adding it. Pour a tablespoon of water to add moisture if your pie was left out to dry. Stir periodically to avoid scorching the bottom.

  • As we get older, we grow out of a lot of habits and likes.
  • Yet, our taste buds still crave the comfort food we ate as kids.
  • Think of the hearty ground lamb meat with crisped vegetables topped with creamy mashed potatoes. All in a heart-warming casserole.
How long to heat a cooked shepherds pie?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

How long to heat a cooked shepherds pie?

How To Reheat Shepherd’s Pie In The OvenPreheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Cover. In an oven-safe dish, put the shepherd’s pie and tightly wrap it in aluminum foil. Bake. Bake fo
r 30–40 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.

If you made too much or simply want to store your shepherd’s pie for later, these tips and tricks are sure to help you out. Learn how to reheat shepherd’s pie using these straightforward techniques so that you can enjoy your delicious leftovers without worrying about your food drying out or becoming soggy.

One of my favorite hearty, comforting dishes is shepherd’s pie, which is made with mashed potatoes, ground lamb or beef, and a ton of other delicious ingredients.

Shepherd’s pie has the added benefit of typically yielding 6 to 8 servings, making it perfect for a large family; however, if you have a smaller family, you are sure to have some leftovers on hand. Fortunately for you, those leftovers reheat incredibly well and taste great.

Does a pie crust become tough from too much water?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Does a pie crust become tough from too much water?

Instead of being tender and flaky, your pie crust is likely tough because you either overworked the dough or added too much water. Not much can be done in this situation other than to plate up a slice and add a scoop of ice cream. Don’t worry; you’ll perform better the next time.

There are a couple reasons you might have been a victim of S.B. S. (Soggy Bottom Syndrome). Maybe you needed topar-bake your crust. Maybe your filling was too liquidy. Maybe youwere watching “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?”while baking.

This is a tricky problem to fix, but hope is not lost. If it’s a fruit pie, try putting it back in the oven for a few minutes on the very bottom rack, thus putting the underbaked bottom closer to the heat source. If it’s a custard pie, don’t try to re-bake it; you risk compromising your lovely filling. Instead, scoop the insides into a glass serving dish and top with cookies or whipped cream. Looks, it’s a trifle! That’s totally what you intended all along, right?

Does egg make pie crust soggy?
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Does egg make pie crust soggy?

Soggy crust is the worst. So to prevent a soggy crust brush that bottom crust with an egg white with a silicone pastry brush. That egg white will create a barrier from your filling to your crust.

Got an egg allergy in the family? Corn syrup works as well.

Pro Tip:And only keep your pie in the fridge unbaked for only a couple hours so the pie dough doesn’t absorb that filling and become soggy.

Video:


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How To Make The Top Of Shepherd's Pie Crispy.
(Image Source: Pixabay.com)

Chelsea Vaughn

Chelsea is a former marine biologist who switched gears in her twenties to build a small house and start a business. She enjoys traveling and going on hiking adventures with her husband, their two Australian Shepherds and their African Grey Parrot.

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22 comments

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  • Glad you mentioned the Worcestershire sauce because as a Brit you were freaking me out not adding a generous glug of the stuff. You smashed it, the recipe is one of the better I’ve seen, my Grandma taught me to let the lamb mince sit at first without breaking it up and get a nice sear on one side, really does make a world of difference.

  • This recipe looks sooooo simple but Tasty! I’m new to your website and love it 😍 I’ve been perusal many of your past articles, they are great. I didn’t see a pot pie article. I hope I didn’t just miss overlook it. I would love to see you make a chicken pot pie with a short crust 😋 I’m sure your take on it would be Scrumptious 🤩

  • Wow I love all your new articles! Small hack, instead of peeling away: You can crack back the bottom white part of a celery, and peel the floss out, by pulling it downwards. Be gentle if the celery is very fresh, it tends to break easily. I could watch you all day! Sometimes I do! While I’m cooking you make wonderful company.

  • Shepherds pie is pure comfort food. I like to flavour up my mash with a stick of celery and a spring onion or two while the spuds are boiling. You could add them to the mash if you can dice them small enough. I also add to the filling a small amount of Continental Spring Vegetable soup(dry mix) for extra flavour.

  • I came here expecting the dish to be made with beef (Cottage Pie), I was pleasantly surprised. Every other American chef I’ve seen has called it Shepherds pie, when it’s a cottage pie. Shepherds flock sheep, easy enough to remember. As a Brit, I approve of you method, and especially the use of Worcestershire (wuss-tur-shuh) sauce! Bravo!

  • I just watched the old version, well okay, cottage pie, versus shepherds pie, and I’m thinking those folks from Aspen (cottage pie 3 yrs ago) are pissed you aren’t cooking for them any more! Nice to know that even an experienced COOK can change ideas/styles. I still haven’t found the article that explains the appliance abuse, must be in a recipe I won’t make 😂 – also this one made me laugh, ALOT.

  • Oh man shepherds pie is up there with the greats, seriously. I love home cooking food’s from all over the world but every now and again i just want shepherds pie. Winter, summer, it don’t matter, it’s just so satisfying. And when we were young and mum was short of cash she’d make it with half meat and half red lentils. OK, not technically shepherds pie but hey, filled 5 hungry kids to the brim.

  • That feint with the 2 into the spinning elbow was 🔥! Draw out their lead hand counter, parry with the spin, then crack ‘em with the helbow!? Sonny, you truly are the Kitchen Khabib. The Holloway of Hollandaise. The Petr Yan of the Pan. The Porier of Perrier. The Umami Usman. The Lasagna Adesanya. Ok I’ll stop. Undefeated, undisputed!!! @ThatDudeCanCook

  • Sonny, I made this tonight for my parents, they’ve never had shepherds pie in their life, they were absolutely floored, it came out perfect. I even got the pastry piping bag and did some cool decorations! Thank you so much for your contribution to cooking on YouTube. What other warm hearty savory meals like this do you have up your sleeve??? 🧐

  • Thanks bro i’m a french chef working in switzerland and i use to do sunday roast for my british customers, seeing that article i feel like i will propose also a shepperd pie as special some days…. just will pimp it with thyme and bay leaves for the meet cooking and probably a smaller cutting for the vegies but realy nice idea to work on… by the way love ur articles u are a great funky “gourmand” chef and i ve most of the time same tricks that u do… that’s cool to see a true good chef doing article with super yummy realisation… keep going and sorry for the fridge…. 😉

  • Please tell me where I can find that wide wooden utensil you used to drain the potatoes. I absolutely need more utensils like that. Also, I absolutely love your content and what you do 🥰 I dropped out of culinary school but I still love cooking at home, you honestly give me so many tips and inspiration.

  • Truly delighted with this article you made shepherds pie with the correct meat I am so tired of people who make it with beef and tell you which shepherds pie you are correct that is cottage pie. I grew up in a culture where we make a lot of pies and stews and casseroles shepherds pie to me is made with lamb cottage pie is made with beef an ocean pie is made with different types of fish in a white parsley sauce covered in potato which is also quite delicious. I make my shepherds pie almost identical to you I even use a ice and bag and have done for more than 30 years it gives a really nice finish to the potatoes and stops them from sinking down into the pie particularly when you make a large pie. One thing I do differently however after I rice the potatoes and mix in my cream butter and eggs I also throw a small handful very finely chopped onion and some finely chopped parsley into the potato I think it gives it that little bit more. Sometimes I’ll substitute the onion and parsley in the potatoes for green onion or chives. But other than that my shepherds pie is made almost identical to yours I don’t put celery in mine but maybe I will try it and see what it’s like really enjoyed the article and once again thank you for making a real shepherds pie.

  • Of course flavorings are subjective. U got pretty much the basics. I’m sure if this is viewed in the UK u will take a few hits from not adding worchestershire sauce lol and is very common to add cheese to the potatoes. But all in all a solid recipe. I was concerned u overcooked the lamb as some of the minch had quite a bit of crust and not just browning

  • Each to their own. Properly cooked in England, you don’t add any vegetables to either shepherd’s or cottage pie and definitely no tomato paste !! It’s just meat, a little stock and potato topping with no egg ! If you have really good fresh mince you don’t need anything else, the flavour of the meat speaks for itself. Add anything extra if you must, but it’s not a proper shepherds pie !

  • Mind if I offer an alternative method for cooking the potatoes that is WAY faster and yet gives fantastic results? Don’t even peel the potatoes (but do dig out bruised spots); cut the potato into three or even four pieces along its length, and take the two middle cylinders and cut them into half-rounds. Give them all a rinse, and pressure-steam them in an instant pot for 15 minutes; the minimal water going into the pot to pressure-steam results in very quick heating and pressurizing. Once the 15 minutes are done, rapid release the potatoes and put the chunks into a potato ricer one at a time, skin-side up. The ricer mashes the potato flesh but leaves the skins behind. (Salt the milk or cream so the salt dissolves into the liquid; since the potatoes weren’t boiled in salted water, you need to adjust accordingly.) I learned this ricer trick from Alton Brown way back in the days of Good Eats, and I adapted the cooking step to do pressure steaming in an Instant Pot. Not having to peel the potatoes vastly speeds up this process, and the pressure cooker further speeds up the process. Try this and see if this doesn’t make the process of making mashed potatoes easier and faster.

  • I made my Christmas stash of Rosemary Salt today. 👍 The power of YT product placing and advertising works, I found mysteriously drawn in at our John Lewis, Solihull, UK Their cookware department looking at the new light blue Le Creuset pans and cookware 😵‍💫. Nice gear. But I only could afford a pair of Olive wood salad spoons 🥲. Cheers

  • I know it’s a matter of opinion but l think the plainer shepherds/cottage pie is the better. So just mince, onion, stock/ flour for thickening, salt, pepper, salted mash. Nothing else. The important thing is good meat and stock and the right sort of potatoes. In the UK Maris Pipers are best but the old and dirty ones if you can get them. The ones is supermarkets are rubbish. Incidentally, the plainer the better also applies to Lancashire hotpot. Same thing stock, meat, potatoes.

  • Ah! Very nice, but there is even better version, and it starts the day before with a big leg of roast lamb – far too big for the roast dinner – roasted with rosemary. And then, the next day, you make your shepherd’s pie by breaking up the tender remains of the lamb and mixing it up with the proper gravy from the day before. For added luxury, add lumps of caramelised roast potatoes (those ones that soaked up the fat from the roasting) to the mash. Don’t mash them, just stir them in. Once you have eaten shepherd’s pie with yesterday’s roast lamb and gravy, you will never go back! I have been cooking it like that for 40 years, and it was so popular in the family, that some would cut down on their portion of roast just to make sure there was enough left! (Note – for even more richness, make the mash from scooped-out oven-baked potatoes.)

  • That knife is pretty darn sharp….your claw technique was perfect, so I’m guessing it was just one of those things….I enjoy cutting my vegs during prep, but I’m not ready to use a knife as sharp as yours, but I’ll upgrade my knife game by next summer…..until then, practice, practice, practice…..I’m so much better than I was 2 years ago…..a chef isn’t a chef until they have solid knife skills!

  • Thankyou at last someone else who agrees that shepherds pie is made with lamb and cottage pie made with beef. I get fed up perusal people making shepherds pie with beef. I always tell them it’s not shepherds pie. I mean come on the name gives it away ie shepherd looks after sheep from them you get lamb meat.

  • Every time I watch Americans trying to make Shepherd’s/Cottage Pie, they always ruin it by putting tomato into the gravy. Cottage/Shepherd’s Pie is English, not Italian. Tomatoes need not apply! It’s all about a beautifully rich lamb or beef gravy married with delectable mash. Also, peas are a side dish for Shepherd’s Pie. They do not go into the dish. 😉 Come to my house and I’ll cook you the best Cottage Pie you’ve ever eaten.

  • Why would you peel a celery when the whole damn stalk is literally just made of fiber and water? Guarantee it would do nothing. It’s like the stupid thing we were told that mushroom can’t be washed. BS. I wash cases in water without a problem. Also the way you probably hold that knife and size of knife is why you cut yourself. There is a reason I have a 12in and 10in chef knife in my knife bag. Right knife for the job to keep safe and never get cut unless you touch my knifes.