Lamb Shepherd’s Pie with Ale Topped with a Potato Celery Root Purée and Goat Gouda

This version of a traditional English Shepherd’s Pie plays off the history of the dish. Shepherd’s Pie is traditionally made with lamb and potatoes’, yet adding celery root to the potatoes adds a complex flavor to offset the richness of the lamb. Using Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Double Barrel Ale or DBA as cooking liquid, to ultimately create the sauce or gravy for the dish, adds some much to the final flavor of the dish. This beer’s primary fermentation is done in new American oak, that is full of wood flavor.  These flavors pair with the malt-forward beer, lower in ABV, while still having an amazing texture and drinkability.

To further add an extra dimension of flavor, Goat Gouda cheese has a slight tang and creamy texture different than cheddar.  All these flavors together create a Lamb Shepherd’s Pie with Ale that will scream comfort food, English pub fare, and Beer Cuisine, all in the same bite.

Lamb Shepherd’s Pie with Ale Recipe Variation:

Beef may be substituted instead of the lamb, renaming this traditional pub-style dish into a Cottage Pie. Or try my Cottage Pie with Ale recipe.

Lamb Shepherd's Pie with Ale

Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe!

Print Recipe

A traditional English Shepherd’s Pie topped with a Potato Celery Root Purée and Goat Gouda, to create delicious a Lamb Shepherd's Pie with Ale!

• CourseEntrée | Main, Lamb, Lunch, Main Dish
• CuisineBeer Cuisine, British, Irish
• Cooking Beer StyleEnglish Dark Mild Ale, English Pale Ale
• Pairing Beer StyleAmerican Wild Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, English Bitter, English Brown Ale, English Dark Mild Ale, English India Pale Ale | IPA, English Old Ale, English Pale Ale, English Pale Mild Ale, English Porter, English Stout, Export | Dortmunder, Extra Special | Strong Bitter | ESB, Foreign | Export Stout, Herb & Spiced Beer, Irish Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Robust Porter, Rye Beer, Scottish Ale, Scottish Ale | Wee Heavy, Scottish Gruit | Ancient Herbed Ale, Smoked Beer, Smoked Porter, Vienna Lager, Winter Warmer
• SeasonalEaster, Fall Seasonal, Spring Seasonal, Summer Seasonal, Winter Seasonal, Year Around Seasonal
• Food SectionLamb, Pie | Savory, Potato
• Cooking MethodBaking with Beer, Cooking with Beer, Sauté
• BreweryFirestone Walker Brewing Co.
• KeywordCooking with Beer

Servings	Prep Time
6 - 8 guests	20 minute

Cook Time

30 - 35 minute

Servings Prep Time 6 - 8 guests 20 minute

Cook Time 30 - 35 minute

Lamb Shepherd's Pie with Ale Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate this recipe! Print Recipe A traditional English Shepherd’s Pie topped with a Potato Celery Root Purée and Goat Gouda, to create delicious a Lamb Shepherd's Pie with Ale! CourseEntrée | Main, Lamb, Lunch, Main Dish CuisineBeer Cuisine, British, Irish Cooking Beer StyleEnglish Dark Mild Ale, English Pale Ale Pairing Beer StyleAmerican Wild Ale, Belgian Pale Ale, Belgian Strong Pale Ale, English Bitter, English Brown Ale, English Dark Mild Ale, English India Pale Ale | IPA, English Old Ale, English Pale Ale, English Pale Mild Ale, English Porter, English Stout, Export | Dortmunder, Extra Special | Strong Bitter | ESB, Foreign | Export Stout, Herb & Spiced Beer, Irish Dry Stout, Oatmeal Stout, Robust Porter, Rye Beer, Scottish Ale, Scottish Ale | Wee Heavy, Scottish Gruit | Ancient Herbed Ale, Smoked Beer, Smoked Porter, Vienna Lager, Winter Warmer SeasonalEaster, Fall Seasonal, Spring Seasonal, Summer Seasonal, Winter Seasonal, Year Around Seasonal Food SectionLamb, Pie | Savory, Potato Cooking MethodBaking with Beer, Cooking with Beer, Sauté BreweryFirestone Walker Brewing Co. KeywordCooking with Beer Servings Prep Time 6 - 8 guests 20 minute Cook Time 30 - 35 minute Servings Prep Time 6 - 8 guests 20 minute Cook Time 30 - 35 minute

Ingredients

• 4 ounce butter, unsalted 1 stick
• 2 tablespoon oil, olive
• 2 each onions, yellow, large, peeled and chopped
• 3 each carrots, large peeled and chopped fine
• 2 each celery, stalks, washed and chopped fine
• 1 each leek, large, sliced in half, washed and sliced
• 2 pound lamb, ground
• 4 each garlic, cloves peeled and minced
• 1 teaspoon salt, kosher
• 2 tablespoon Italian Leaf Parsley washed and chopped
• 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh leaves chopped
• 12 ounce English Mild Ale, such as Firestone Walker Brewing Co. Double Barrel Ale (DBA)
• 2 cup stock, chicken or lamb
• 1 recipe Potato Celery Root Puree recipe here
• 2 cup goat gouda cheese, grated, for more info click here
• salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Servings: guests

Units:MetricUS Imperial

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F | 177°C. In a large dutch oven or sauté pan over medium heat, add butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add onions, carrots, celery and leeks, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook until the vegetables become translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove the cooked vegetables to a bowl, reserving as much of the butter/oil in the pan as possible. Add half of the ground lamb (or meat) into the pan and brown evenly, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 6 - 7 minutes. Repeat with remaining meat. By not adding all the meat at the same time, the meat isn’t overcrowded in the pan, causing the meat to brown rather than steam.

  
• Add the garlic, parsley and rosemary to the meat as it finishes browning and cook for another 2 minutes.

  
• Deglaze the pan with theFirestone Walker Brewing Co. Double Barrel Ale (DBA), using a wooden spoon to scrape off any brown bits (fond) stuck to the pan and let beer reduce by half. As this brew is low in IBUs, it will not get bitter, just reduce and intensify the malty oaky flavor.

  
• Add the reserved vegetables and first batch of meat back into the pan, topping off with chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce till the level of the liquid is equal with the meat and vegetables; season with salt and pepper to taste.

  
• Pour this mixture into a 9X13 pan, spreading out evenly in one layer.

  
• Add the Potato Celery Root Purée to the top of the meat mixture.

  
• A tip to help evenly distribute the topping is to spoon the mixture over the meat first.

  
• Then using a spatula, spread the mounds,

  
• leveling the Potato Celery Root Purée into a even layer.

  
• Add the grated Goat Gouda cheese

  
• and season with salt and pepper.

  
• Place the shepherds Pie in the center of the oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until the cheese has melted and starting to turn a nice golden brown color and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes, to thicken the sauce slightly as it cools. Serve family style or individually, garnishing with Italian leaf parsley.

Recipe Notes

Beer Pairing Suggestion:

Firestone Walker Brewing Co. is the only American brewery I know of using the British Union Oak Barrel Brewing System.  Their Double Barrel Ale (DBA) has a wonderful oak character that adds a depth of flavor to this English Bitter, not found in many oak aged ales, as they ferment in the barrel.  This oak accentuates the Lambs richness and the sweetness of the carrots and leeks.  Matt Brynildson’s attention to the balance of noble hops and English malt, creates a great drinking and cooking brew that has won several medals.  I would recommend FW DBA as a beer to pairing with this 

 

Shepherd's Pie Variations:

If you like more of a classic mash potato topping for this Shepherd's Pie, replace the Potato Celery Root Purée recipe with my Roasted Garlic IPA Mash Potatoes.

Other Savory Beer Pie Recipes:

Fisherman’s Pie Infused with Irish Red Ale

Lamb Shepherd's Pie with Ale