Also called cottage pie, shepherd’s pie is a baked pie made with minced red meat and mashed potatoes. This version uses mutton instead of beef (the version with beef is called cottage pie and with lamb is called shepherd’s pie). It is believed that shepherd’s pie was created when housewives decided to use leftovers from Sunday roasts. The term ‘shepherd's pie’ only surfaced in 1854. It was initially considered the same as cottage pie, irrespective of if beef or lamb has been used. The dish’s French name, ‘hachis Parmentier’, was found in French in 1900 and in English in 1898. It is considered the same as shepherd's pie. ‘Hachis’ refers to anything that has been finely chopped and the English word ‘hash’ is derived from it. 'Parmentier' refers to Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, a man after whom many dishes made with potato were named. Parmentier promoted potatoes in France in the 18th century.
