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Al Roker's Cheddar-Crusted Shepherd's Pie

Al Roker makes cheddar-crusted shepherd's pie
Samantha Okazaki / TODAY
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Chef notes

Shepherd's pie is the epitome of comfort food—perfect for a cold winter day. And this one is covered in cheese, which makes it even tastier. It's like pot pie on steroids! 

Ingredients

  • 5 cups mashed, boiled Yukon potatoes (shortcut: You could use instant potatoes)
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pound ground lamb
  • 1 can diced tomatoes with juice (16-ounce can)
  • 1 small bag frozen vegetable medley (carrot, peas, onion, corn)
  • 1 cup of good stout beer
  • 1 cube beef bouillon
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with a enough water to make a paste
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 cups cup sharp cheddar cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chives

Preparation

Start with bowl of mashed Yukon potatoes. Add sour cream, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chives, egg yolk, teaspoon of salt, and teaspoon of black pepper and stir until smooth. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat.

Add lamb and cook until browned. Pour off any excess grease, and season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes with liquid and vegetable medley and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

While that is cooking, in a small saucepan heat beer and add beef bouillon. Bring up to a simmer and add cornstarch mixture. Then add that to lamb mixture and simmer until thickened.

Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour in lamb mixture. Spoon mashed potatoes over and make sure the potatoes cover all meat mixture. Top with 1 cup cheese and sprinkle paprika over the casserole. Pre-heat oven to 350’F.

Cook covered with foil until hot. If the the ingredients are still hot when it goes in the oven, bake 25-30 minutes. If the casserole ingredients are cold, bake for about 45 minutes.

Uncover and place under broiler until cheese is bubbly and golden, about 2 minutes.