Shepherd’s pie is a dish that has been a part of British heritage for a long time. It consists of a mixture of ground lamb, vegetables, and mashed potatoes, topped with a crust.
Pasty is another traditional dish that has been around for centuries. It consists of meat and other ingredients wrapped in an oblong-shaped pastry shell or “crust”.
Although the two dishes are very similar, there are some differences between them which you may want to consider before making your decision on which dish to serve your guests.
What Is A Pasty?
A pasty is a dish that consists of meat and veggies other ingredients wrapped in an oblong-shaped pastry shell or “crust”. It comes from Cornwall, which is a county in England.
What Is A Shepherd’s Pie?
A shepherd’s pie is a dish that has been a part of British heritage for a long time. It consists of a mixture of ground lamb, vegetables, and mashed potatoes, topped with a crust.
The meat in the shepherd’s pie is typically lamb, but any type of meat can be used. The lamb is cooked in gravy with vegetables like onions, carrots, celery, and tomatoes to give the dish extra flavor. The gravy is allowed to cook until it reaches the desired thickness.
After removing the meat from the gravy (reserving it), potatoes are mixed with salt and pepper until they are creamy and smooth before being added to the meat sauce.
The mixture is then spooned into an oven-proof dish or casserole dish before topping it off with mashed potatoes that have been mixed with butter or clarified butter (known as “gravy”) until they are soft and fluffy.
Some people will also mix breadcrumbs into their mashed potatoes for additional texture.
After everything has been assembled together in your casserole dish, you will need to cover it with something so that there’s no spillage or peek-a-boo spots on top of your potato mixture.
This is often times achieved by placing foil over the top of the casserole dish before baking it at 350°F for about 60 minutes so that the pastry shell gets nice and crispy on top.
Similarities Between Pasty And Shepherd’s Pie
Both pasty and shepherd’s pie are traditional dishes that have been around for centuries. Both dishes consist of ground meat, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.
The differences between the two dishes lie in the crust of the dish.
Shepherd’s pie is topped with mashed potatoes mixed with butter, salt, pepper, and milk before being baked while pasties are wrapped in an oblong-shaped pastry shell or “crust”.
Differences Between Pasty And Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie is typically made with lamb.
Pasty, on the other hand, can be made with beef, pork, or lamb. It is usually served cold and often includes cheese in the crust.
Shepherd’s pie usually has vegetables that are mashed together to form a layer on top of the meat and mashed potatoes mixture.
Pasty also has vegetables mixed in with the meat but it does not have a mashed potato topping.
Although they are very similar dishes, there are some differences between shepherd’s pie and pasty which may help you decide how you want to serve your guests.
Conclusion
A pasty is a traditional baked pie found in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Cornwall. The pasty is most popular in Cornwall, where it is considered the national dish. A pasty typically consists of meat, potatoes, onion and swede encased in a shortcrust pastry.
A shepherd’s pie is a meat-based pie with a potato crust.
One of the main differences between a pasty and a shepherd’s pie is that a pasty is traditionally made with beef and vegetables while shepherd’s pie usually contains lamb or mutton and has a mashed potato crust.
The pasty emerged in Cornwall in the 18th century and was seen as a convenient way to transport food from the mining areas to the local marketplaces.
The pasty also became popular because it could be eaten without the use of knife and fork and it could be conveniently eaten without removing one’s hands from one’s pockets.
One of the most famous Cornish Pasty recipes comes from none other than Jamie Oliver.
His recipe for ‘A Proper Cornish Pasty’ includes beef, onion, swede (also known as turnip), potato and beef suet (or butter) wrapped up in sweet shortcrust pastry.