Shepherd's pie is as meat 'n' potatoes as it gets — literally — and a definitive comfort food.

When Irish celebrity chef Kevin Dundon gets ahold of it, his pie takes on a surprisingly elegant presentation.  

"This is a dish that we've had in the restaurant for the last 11 years," Dundon said, who's the top chef at Raglan Road at Disney Springs. "It's now become one of our signature dishes, which is fantastic. But what's really cool about it is it's actually really simple."

Dundon flew in from Ireland recently to visit with us at the restaurant. The heart of this dish is the leeks, onions and carrot mixture and two kinds of meats.

"[That's] because cottage pie is beef and shepherd's pie is lamb," he explained.

The twist, he says, is the presentation. Grab yourself a ring mold to achieve it.

Let's cook!

Shepherd’s Pie - Chef Kevin Dundon, Raglan Road

½ lb Beef lean, ground
½ lb Lamb lean ground
1 tsp Olive oil
1 each Small Onion, minced
1 each Leek, minced
1 each Small Carrot, minced
1 tsp Tomato puree
1 cup Red wine
To Taste Salt and pepper
1 oz Parsley fresh, chopped
1 oz Thyme fresh, chopped
1 oz Rosemary fresh, chopped
1 lb Potatoes, washed, scrubbed and peeled
1 cup Milk
2 tsp Butter

Instructions:

• Heat the oil and sauté the beef and the lamb in a pot over high heat
• Add in the onions, leeks and carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook stirring for about 5 minutes
• Add in the tomato paste stir well to make sure it is well combined
• Add in the red wine, stir well and cook for 10 minutes
• Add in the parsley, thyme and rosemary stir and cook for 2 more minutes
• Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed

For the potatoes:

Cover the potatoes with water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes until cooked yet firm; drain.
Place the potatoes trough a ricer to puree then add the hot milk and butter and season with a bit more salt if needed.

Using ring molds, place a fair amount of the minced meat in the middle of the plate and top with fresh mashed potatoes, remove the ring and garnish with fresh thyme leaves