Lamb · Slow cooker adaptation

Brian Lagerstrom Shepherd's Pie (Slow Cooker)

Brian Lagerstrom reckons most shepherd's pies fail on technique, and his fix starts with a hard sear on a kilo and a half of lamb to build serious fond. The slow cooker then takes over the braise, while a rich potato roof of butter, sour cream and Parmesan crisps under a hot grill.

R By Richard · Adapted from Brian Lagerstrom · Published 23 June 2026
👁 914.3k source views ❤️ 23.2k source likes
⏱Prep 45 min
🍲Slow cook 6 hr (Low) / 3 hr (High)
🍽Serves 8
Shepherd's Pie Done RIGHT

Source video by Brian Lagerstrom on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Brian Lagerstrom's shepherd's pie is built around two ideas: a hard sear on the lamb mince for proper fond, and a potato roof rich enough to set into a sliceable crust. We keep his browning, deglazing and topping steps intact and let the slow cooker do the long braise that he runs on the hob. The mash is still mixed by hand and baked in a hot oven so it puffs and crisps, with an optional blast under the grill to finish.

Slow cooker notes: Source is a hob and oven recipe. Only the meat filling moves to the slow cooker. The lamb is still hard seared in a pan first to build the fond Brian insists on (slow cookers will not brown), the veg are softened in the same pan, then deglazed with red wine and finished with tomato paste, Better Than Bouillon, Worcestershire, thyme and flour exactly per the source. The stock is reduced from 450g to 300g because slow cookers retain liquid and the flour-thickened sauce needs to stay gravy-thick, not soupy. The whole filling then goes to the slow cooker on Low for 5 to 6 hours or High for 3 hours in place of Brian's reduce-by-half hob simmer. Peas and parsley are stirred in at the end so they keep colour. The mashed potato topping, the 9x13 assembly, the 25 minute bake and the grill finish all stay as Brian describes them.

Ingredients

Meat filling
  • 40 golive oil
  • 1.5 kglamb mince
  • 350 gonions, medium diced (about 2 medium onions)
  • 200 gcarrots, medium diced (2 to 3 large carrots)
  • 200 gcelery, medium diced
  • fennel, medium diced
  • 20 ggarlic cloves, rough chopped (4 to 5 cloves)
  • 15 gfine salt
  • 250 gred wine
  • 50 gtomato puree
  • 50 gBetter Than Bouillon beef paste
  • 50 gWorcestershire sauce
  • 2 gblack pepper, freshly ground
  • 2 gfresh thyme, chopped
  • 25 gplain flour
  • 300 gbeef or chicken stock
  • 15 gfresh parsley, chopped (add late)
  • 150 gfrozen peas (add late)
Potato crust
  • 1.2 kgrusset or floury potatoes, peeled
  • 115 gunsalted butter, melted
  • 125 gdouble cream
  • 125 gsoured cream
  • 125 gParmesan, finely grated
  • salt
  • 3 wholelarge egg yolks
To finish
  • extra Parmesan, finely grated (add late)

Method

  1. Put the peeled potatoes in a stock pot and cover with cold water by 3 to 4 inches. Bring to the boil, drop to medium low, lid on, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes until a cake tester slides through with no resistance. Drain.

    ~40 min

  2. Medium dice the onions, carrots, celery and fennel if using. Rough chop the garlic. Tip everything into one bowl.

    ~10 min

  3. Set a large heavy pan over high heat. Add the olive oil, then the lamb. Press the meat flat with a masher to maximise contact with the pan. Cook without stirring much while the water releases, then keep searing for 10 to 15 minutes in total until a deep brown crust forms and a glaze of fond builds on the bottom of the pan.

    ~15 min

  4. Add the diced veg and the 15g salt. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the veg start to soften and release moisture.

    ~4 min

  5. Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pan thoroughly with a wooden spoon to dissolve the fond into the wine.

    ~2 min

  6. Stir in the tomato puree, Better Than Bouillon beef paste, Worcestershire and black pepper. Once the wine has mostly reduced, stir in the chopped thyme followed by the flour. Cook until the pan starts to glaze again, about 2 minutes.

    ~4 min

  7. Pour in the 300g stock, scrape the base once more, then bring everything to a brief simmer. Tip the lot into the slow cooker.

    ~3 min

  8. Cover and cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours or High for 3 hours, until the veg are tender and the sauce is glossy and properly gravy-thick.

    ~360 min

  9. Pass the drained, still hot potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Stir in the melted butter, double cream, soured cream and Parmesan until the cheese is fully incorporated. Taste and salt generously.

    ~8 min

  10. Stir the three egg yolks into the mash. The yolks plus the Parmesan are what set the topping into a firm, sliceable crust.

    ~2 min

  11. Stir the chopped parsley and the frozen peas into the slow cooker filling and leave on Low for 5 minutes to warm through and brighten the peas.

    ~5 min

  12. Spoon the filling into a deep 9x13 inch (about 23x33cm) baking dish and press it down into an even layer. Spread the mash on top, then drag a flat tool across the surface to dimple it for extra crunchy peaks. Grate over a generous handful of extra Parmesan.

    ~8 min

  13. Sit the dish on a baking tray to catch any spills, then bake at 220C (425F) for 25 minutes until the top is risen and lightly golden.

    ~25 min

  14. Switch the oven to grill on high and move the dish a shelf closer to the heat. Grill for a minute or two, watching closely, until the crust is deeply browned and crisp.

    ~3 min

  15. Rest the pie for at least 25 minutes before serving. It will be molten straight out of the oven, and the rest lets the filling set so it scoops cleanly.

    ~25 min

Frequently asked

Can I use beef mince instead of lamb?
Yes. Brian says beef works just as well, he just goes with lamb because it feels more shepherd-y. The technique stays identical: hard sear first, build the fond, then deglaze.
Why brown the meat in a pan before using the slow cooker?
Slow cookers steam, they do not brown. The deep meaty flavour in shepherd's pie comes from the Maillard crust on the lamb and the fond stuck to the pan, both of which you can only get with a screaming hot pan.
Can I assemble it the night before?
Yes. Cool the filling and the mash separately, then layer up cold in the baking dish, cover and chill. Bring back close to room temperature before baking and add 5 to 10 minutes to the oven time.
What if I do not have fennel?
Skip it. Brian flags it as optional. The dish still works on onion, carrot and celery alone.
Do I have to use the egg yolks in the mash?
You can leave them out and the pie will still be excellent, but the yolks plus the Parmesan are what set the topping into the firm, almost sliceable crust Brian aims for.
Extraction notes (transparency): All filling and topping quantities are taken directly from the transcript. Fennel quantity not stated by Brian so it is left null and marked optional. Salt for the mash is described as 'a strong grip, make that two' with no measured amount, so it is set to null and noted as season to taste. Stock reduction from 450g to 300g is an explicit slow cooker adaptation, called out in adaptationNotes.