Corned Beef and Cabbage Shepherd's Pie

5.0
(34)

This is a combination of my favorite corned beef and cabbage recipe, and my favorite shepherd's pie recipe. It involves a few extra steps when compared to your traditional boiled beef dinner, but the payoff at the end is well worth the extra effort. By layering the ingredients in a casserole dish, each serving has the perfect proportions of beef, cabbage, carrots, and potatoes.

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Prep Time:
40 mins
Cook Time:
4 hrs 50 mins
Additional Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
5 hrs 40 mins
Servings:
8
Yield:
8 servings

Turning a classic corned beef and cabbage dinner into a shepherd's pie makes a lot of sense, especially if you like your food piping hot. It also makes sense if you get nervous slicing and serving meat while a bunch of hungry people look on, monitoring your accuracy, as well as your generosity. In this format, everyone gets a nice neat square. While it does take a few more steps, service is a breeze.

By the way, you can use more corned beef if you want a thicker layer. But that stuff isn't cheap, and I think the proportions were just fine. I did use a larger than usual 10 x 15-inch baking dish to fit all this goodness in. A standard 9 x 13 would work, but you might have to back down the non-meat ingredient amounts a little to fit everything in. If you're not into that, you can always use one of those large, rectangular foil baking pans, which should do the job just fine. Yes, we are allowed to use those on holidays other than Thanksgiving.

Speaking of holidays, this casserole is so good, and relatively easy to make, you should definitely enjoy it more frequently than just on St. Patrick's Day — but we'll let you start with that, and see how it goes. So, whether this is a regular thing, or a once a year spring ritual, I hope you give it a try soon. Enjoy!

Corned Beef and Cabbage Shepherd's Pie
Corned Beef and Cabbage Shepherd's Pie . Chef John

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Ingredients

Original recipe (1X) yields 8 servings

  • 1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet

  • 1 medium yellow onion, thickly sliced

  • 2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces

  • 3 quarts cold water, or as needed to cover

  • kosher salt to taste

  • 2 small heads Savoy cabbage, cored and cut into 2-inch pieces

  • 3 medium carrots, thickly sliced

  • 5 large russet potatoes, quartered

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, cut into slices

  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

  • 1 cup milk

  • ¾ cup grated Irish Cheddar cheese, plus more to taste

  • 1 tablespoon chopped scallions, or to taste

Directions

  1. Put corned beef in a pot with onion and celery and sprinkle spice packet over top. Pour in cold water to cover. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Skim off and discard any foam if desired. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until tender, about 3 1/2 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

  2. Carefully remove corned beef to a bowl and let cool. Taste broth and add salt if needed.

  3. Bring broth to a boil over high heat. Add cabbage to the boiling broth. Cook until cabbage just starts to soften and sweeten up, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and remove cabbage to a bowl.

  4. Add carrots to the boiling broth. Cook until carrots start to soften, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon and remove carrots to a bowl.

  5. Add potatoes to the boiling broth and reduce heat to medium. Cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

  6. While the potatoes are cooking, slice the cooled corned beef along the fatty seam to separate into 2 pieces. Identify the direction of the meat fibers and cut across them (against the grain) to slice into 1/4-inch thick slices, trimming off and discarding any giant pieces of fat. Set aside.

  7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Butter a 9x15-inch casserole dish.

  8. Use a slotted spoon and remove cooked potatoes to a bowl. Reserve broth. Add butter, salt, pepper, cayenne, and milk to the potatoes. Mix and mash until very smooth. Toss in 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese and mix until incorporated.

  9. Pour cabbage into the prepared casserole dish and press on it until nicely compacted. Evenly distribute and press carrots over the cabbage. Place a nice, even layer of corned beef on top, overlapping a bit and distributing the nice fatty pieces evenly until fully covered. Pour in 1 cup of the reserved broth. Dollop mashed potatoes over top, then spread into a uniform layer with the back of a spatula. Switch to a fork and push potatoes to the edge of the dish. Then drag the fork sideways back and forth over the potatoes to create a texture. Repeat this texture going top to bottom over the potatoes. Sprinkle with a little more Cheddar.

  10. Bake in the center of the preheated oven until beautifully browned and piping hot, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

  11. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes.

  12. Meanwhile, warm any remaining broth over medium-low heat.

  13. Cut Shepherd's pie into squares and garnish with scallions. Serve with warmed broth.

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Chef's Notes

When you buy your corned beef you usually have a choice between a flat, lean one and a thick, fatty one. Use the thick, fatty one if you can get it.

You can use any green cabbage in place of Savoy, and any Cheddar cheese you like.

This technique is perfect for making individual-sized portions, just use small baking dishes.

Editor's Note:

Nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of corned beef broth. The actual amount of broth consumed will vary.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

664 Calories
35g Fat
59g Carbs
31g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 8
Calories 664
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 35g 45%
Saturated Fat 16g 82%
Cholesterol 144mg 48%
Sodium 1330mg 58%
Total Carbohydrate 59g 21%
Dietary Fiber 10g 35%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 31g 63%
Vitamin C 74mg 82%
Calcium 245mg 19%
Iron 5mg 27%
Potassium 1725mg 37%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.