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Filled to the brim with a delicious lamb and veggie gravy and topped with fluffy mashed potatoes, these Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Baked Potatoes are a fun and festive spin on the classic you know and love. You can easily adapt this recipe to be both dairy-free and Whole30-compliant, but if you’re living your food freedom try folding in some Kerrygold grass-fed butter and grated Dubliner cheese for extra boost of flavour.
Ingredients You Need for Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Baked Potatoes
- Ground Lamb: This recipe calls for using ground lamb. However, if that’s difficult to find for you or you simply aren’t a fan of the flavour, you can substitute lean ground beef and call them Cottage Pie Stuffed Baked Potatoes.
- Vegetables: A combination of celery, carrots, onion and garlic form the aromatic base for the meat filling. For extra texture and flavour, I like to also sauté some mushrooms and add a cup of frozen peas to the filling at the very end.
- Rosemary: If you have it on hand, some fresh rosemary will add a delicious flavour and aroma to this dish. You can also use fresh thyme or a combination of the two. If using dried herbs, be sure to use only half the amount called for fresh.
- Tomato Paste: Adding a couple tablespoons of tomato paste will add depth of flavour and colour to the gravy.
- Onion Powder: Adding a spoon of onion powder will also add some flavour to the filling.
- Beef Broth: To really bump up the rich flavour, I like using beef broth for both the filling and the mashed potatoes. You can substitute chicken broth for a lighter-tasting finished product.
- Russet Potatoes: You need a potato with a thicker skin that will hold its shape here. Yellow and white-fleshed potatoes with thin skins won’t work. I recommend using russet potatoes because they will hold their shape as they bake in the oven after being stuffed.
- Greek Yogurt: Rather than load the mashed potatoes with heavy cream, I like folding in some non-fat Greek yogurt into the mashed potatoes. It gives them a little zing, makes them creamy, and also bumps up the amount of protein per serving. To keep this recipe Whole30, omit the yogurt and use more beef broth or chicken broth.
- Kerrygold Grass-fed Unsalted Butter: This recipe calls for adding butter to both the shepherd’s pie filling and the mashed potatoes. I love Kerrygold unsalted butter because it has a delicious, creamy taste and is made with high-quality milk from grass-fed cows. To keep this recipe Whole30, omit the butter and use extra-virgin olive oil instead.
- Kerrygold Grass-fed Dubliner Cheese: Just like their incredible butter, Kerrygold Dubliner cheese is made from Irish grass-fed cows. It’s an aged cheese with a robust and complex flavour profile that will take your mashed potatoes to another level. Be sure to also grate some overtop of each stuffed baked potato. It will melt, turn golden brown and all of the bits that fall over the edge get super crispy. Like little bonus cheese tuiles that you can use as garnish. To keep this recipe Whole30, omit the cheese.
- Green Onions: For a pop of colour and flavour, garnish the finished potatoes with some thinly sliced green onion.
What Is Shepherd’s Pie?
Shepherd’s pie is a classic dish originating in the United Kingdom that consists of a savoury meat filling, typically made with ground or minced lamb, mixed with vegetables and simmered in a rich gravy. The filling is then topped with mashed potatoes and baked until the top is golden and slightly crispy. It’s a hearty and comforting dish that’s perfect for warming you up on a cold day.
The meat and vegetable filling in Shepherd’s Pie is usually seasoned with various herbs and spices and is cooked in a flavourful gravy made from ingredients like beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. The mashed potato topping is creamy and adds a comforting contrast to the rich and savoury filling. Once assembled, the dish is baked until the top layer of mashed potatoes becomes golden and slightly crispy.
What is the Difference Between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie?
Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie are nearly identical to one another. The key difference between the two is the type of meat used: Cottage Pie uses beef, while Shepherd’s Pie uses lamb. Either way, it’s an easy, comforting, and affordable recipe that makes use of simple ingredients and can feed a crowd.
This recipe takes all of the same elements of a classic Shepherd’s Pie but plays with the presentation by turning it into twice-baked potatoes.
Can You Make It On the Traeger?
If you really want to take this recipe to the next level, try baking the potatoes and finishing the stuffed ones on your Traeger Grill. It develops an irresistible wood-fired flavour and aroma that you just can’t replicate in the oven. In fact, I prepared this entire dish outside on the new Timberline series grill, which comes equipped with the first ever outdoor-rated induction burner.
Can You Make These Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Baked Potatoes Ahead of Time?
You can absolutely prepare these Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Baked Potatoes ahead of time. If you want to freeze them,, I recommend assembling all the ingredients and then baking them when you’re ready to serve.
If you want to prepare it for easy meals through the week or before a dinner party, bake the potatoes, make the meat and vegetable filling, prepare the mashed potatoes and assemble the stuffed potatoes. When ready to eat, bake them in an oven or toaster oven so they’re fresh.
Can I Use Frozen Vegetables?
You can make your life easier and cut down on some prep time by using frozen carrots. You can buy them separately or get a bag of mixed peas and carrots. If using frozen, I recommend adding them after you add the beef broth and heat them through.
Substitution Tips
- Ground Meat: Substitute ground beef, ground pork, ground turkey, ground chicken, ground bison or even your favourite ground game meat. Each type of protein will add a different taste and texture to the finished dish.
- Filling Ingredients: Every household puts their own little twist on their Shepherd’s Pie filling and so should you. I almost always add mushrooms to my filling. Sometimes I sneak in some zucchini for an extra serving of vegetables. Other times I won’t include any peas. Feel free to get creative and make use of what you love and have on hand.
- Vegetarian or Vegan Cottage Pie: For a meatless option, you can substitute the ground beef with different kinds of mushrooms, zucchini or eggplant. If you want to keep it completely vegan, use vegetable broth for the mashed potatoes.
- Luxurious Mashed Potatoes: This recipe calls for adding butter, Greek yogurt and grated cheese to the mashed potatoes, but if you’re in the mood for something a little lighter, you can omit the cheese, butter and yogurt and use olive oil and chicken broth or beef broth instead.
- Herbs and Spices: One of the easiest ways to add flavour to your shepherd’s pie stuffed baked potatoes is to experiment with different fresh herbs and spices. In this recipe I kept things very simple with some chopped fresh rosemary, but I often add chopped thyme and some smoked paprika for extra oomph!
- Side Dishes: Serve them on their own or with a side of asparagus, green beans, roasted vegetables, or a garden salad to complete the meal. I also love it with a spoonful of homemade gravy overtop.
What About Leftovers?
This recipe will probably leave you with some extra meat and veggie filling and more mashed potatoes than you can balance on top of each stuffed spud. No worries! You can simply make a classic shepherd’s pie with the leftovers. Just add the meat and veggie filling to a casserole or pie dish, top with the mashed potatoes and bake it along with the stuffed potatoes!
Shepherd’s Pie Stuffed Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, around 4 large potatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 3 tablespoons Kerrygold unsalted butter, divided
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 pound ground lamb, substitute 80/20 lean ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 17 ounces plus 1/4 cup beef broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- Freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 7 ounces Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, coarsely grated
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or Traeger grill to 425F.
- Place the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper and use a fork to poke a few holes all around. Lightly drizzle the potatoes with olive oil, massage them to coat and season generously all over with salt. Transfer the potatoes to the oven or Traeger and cook until the potatoes are completely fork-tender, around 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until the butter has melted. Add the carrot, celery and onion and season with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent, around 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until softened, around 5 minutes. Add the ground lamb and cook, crumbling it with a spatula, until no longer pink, around 10 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, rosemary, onion powder and tomato paste and cook, stirring to incorporate, around 60 seconds. Add the beef broth and cook, lifting any brown bits off the bottom of the pan, until the liquid starts to simmer. Add the frozen peas, season with 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and cook, stirring, until the liquid has reduced by 1/4 in volume, around 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, adjust with salt and pepper as desired and set aside.
- Once the potatoes are fork-tender, use a sharp knife to cut an oval-shaped opening in the top of each potato. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the potato flesh, leaving the skin in tact, and transfer it to a bowl along with the Greek yogurt, all but 4 tablespoons of the grated cheese, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 cup beef broth, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Mash everything together with a potato masher until smooth yet slightly chunky, adjusting with more beef broth as needed.
- Fill each hollowed out potato with the ground lamb mixture and top each with 1/3 cup of mashed potatoes. Garnish each potato with around 1 tablespoon of grated cheese, place them back onto the sheet pan lined with parchment paper, transfer to a 425F oven or Traeger and cook until the mashed potatoes are golden brown and the cheese has melted, around 35 minutes.
- Garnish the potatoes with green onion and serve with a side salad or grilled vegetables of choice.
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
About the Author
Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.
Can’t wait to cook this
Love this and all your recipes! Thanks
Delicious, and a crowd pleaser. I used beef and added fresh thyme and a little Worsteshire sauce.
Can’t wait to try this one.
Thank you!
This was next level good! We aren’t big lamb lovers but I used an extra lean beef and wowza! Thank you for being you!
This was great! I’m two days late on St Pats but that’s life. Made as described with a couple dashes of Worcestershire added bc I love it. Didn’t mash any potatoes just put the filling on the open baked potato with the shredded kerrygold cheese, bc school nights need short cuts. Great recipe, even the 8 year old liked it 😃 thanks for sharing!