Carnivore Shepherd’s pie with a Mediterranean twist
Carnivore Shepherd’s pie is a natural prologue to our mission to tweak traditional recipes. In particular, we love to dive into European history and find a specific dish from the comfort food palette. And then, we love to turn these recipes into Keto and low-carb versions. This time, we went even a step further in our process of fixing the recipes from the carbo-oriented world! We decided to make a twist to Shepherd’s pie. This famous Irish dish with an interesting history took our attention due to the type of meat. Something that always warms our eastern Mediterranean soul – mutton and lamb! And just like that, our Carnivore Shepherd’s pie was created out of this passion.
Is Shepherd’s pie a poor man’s dish?
Like almost all popular dishes, Shepherd’s pie was born out of the struggle to preserve leftovers. Furthermore, cheap and easy ingredients would always be the base. Our Carnivore shepherd’s pie also calls for simple ingredients, but we are not going for cheap at all! In particular, the classic recipe is famous for the mashed potatoes crust, but we cannot say that some versions of this pie did not exist before In 1589. What happened in that particular year? Well, Sir Walter Raleigh introduced the potato to Ireland. As we know, potatoes were not popular immediately. It took some time to learn how to prepare them. Over time, due to ease of growing, it became the main food for the poor. But we still think a version of Shepherd’s pie existed before potatoes came to Europe!
Lamb or mutton, the tastiest and healthiest meat
Isn’t it funny, the nutritious and delicious lamb or mutton is the main ingredient in the classical Shepherd’s pie. This traditional Irish dish always calls for lamb, while the British version called cottage pie uses beef. Why? Because historically the Irish weren’t big beef eaters, while the Brits were. But hey, we in the Mediterranean zones think of lamb as the most precious thing. So, in the process of creating the Carnivore Shepherd’s pie we managed to make it even tastier. How in the world did we make the topping so delicious? Well, think of our Carnivore Moussaka. 😉 Just mix up some sour cream and eggs, top it with grated hard cheese and watch the magic in the oven.
Carnivore shepherd’s pie or maybe a Keto version?
Naturally, you can easily include some vegetables and call it a Keto version. However, this Carnivore Shepherd’s pie is versatile. A Keto Mediterranean approach would be to add some mashed zucchini mixed with eggs and cream. Furthermore, a Ketovore approach would include some spices and perhaps olive oil. And finally, you can opt for a strict carnivore version is presented in our recipe below.
We are bringing you the basic, strict Carnivore recipe, and hope you’ll give it a try first. To our surprise, this juicy pie was so deliciously moist and palatable. With just a handful of spices, it could be the best crustless pie you ate in years. Finally, let’s see the recipe and hear from you once you make it! We are sure you’ll adore our Carnivore Shepherd’s pie as much as we did!
Carnivore Shepherd’s pie with a Mediterranean twist
Course: Main courseCuisine: Keto Mediterranean, CarnivoreDifficulty: Medium8
servings20
minutes35
minutesIngredients
800g (28 oz) minced lamb or mutton
2 tbsp tallow (or butter)
8 large eggs
300g (10 oz) sour cream
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp grated hard cheese (we used goat cheese)
- Spices and herbs (optional for strict carnivores, preferred for everyone else)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried celery or parsley
1 tsp dried thyme, peppermint or sage
1/2 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
1 tsp freshly ground red peppercorn (or juniper berries)
Directions
- In a deep pan, melt the tallow (or butter). Add the minced meat and sauté it while constantly stirring. You can add small amounts of water and keep stirring. Let the meat turn brown evenly which can take about 5 minutes. Add all the spices.
- Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool down a bit. Now add 6 whisked eggs and stir.
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF). Grease a round pie pan (30 cm or 12-inch diameter) with some tallow or butter. Transfer the meat and eggs mixture in it and spread it with a wooden spoon. Place it into a preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes.
- Prepare the topping by mixing the sour cream with 2 remaining eggs. Pour this all over your pie and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the cream and egg mixture rises and the top turns golden brown.
- Remove the pie from the oven, let it cool down a bit and serve.
Notes
- For a Keto version, fry some chopped onion before you brown the minced meat. Also, add cooked and mashed zucchini to the topping with cream and eggs. If zucchini adds a lot of liquid to the topping, stir in 1 tbsp of psyllium powder. Use more fresh herbs and spices.
Did you make this recipe?
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