A few days ago, I realized my favorite childhood food—Chilean Pastel de Papas Shepherd’s Pie—was not on the blog.
It took me less than a week to prepare it, and here it is. It is similar to the traditional Shepherd’s Pie, but weirdly, it does not have vegetables besides potatoes, even though many Chilean dishes are plant-based.
Serve year-round with seasonal salads (tomato and onions in summer, cabbage or celery in winter); it is a popular everyday dish.
Main Ingredients
- Potatoes: mashed with milk and butter. You can use leftover mashed potatoes.
- Pino Filling: This filling is typically made with ground beef and onions and is seasoned with classic Chilean spices, including cumin, paprika, and oregano.
Unique Additions layered between the Pino and the mashed potatoes:
- Hard-boiled eggs: Sliced or quartered them.
- Olives: Often, black olives add a briny contrast to the savory filling.
- Raisins: Some recipes include raisins in the meat mixture, providing a touch of sweetness that balances the dish’s flavors.
- Cooked chicken: Usually breast meat.
The dish is baked until the potato topping is golden and slightly crispy on the edges. Some include a grated cheese topping for a more decadent finish.
Pastel de Papas reflects indigenous and Spanish influences in Chilean cuisine. The use of potatoes, a staple in South America, combined with European cooking methods like baking, highlights this culinary fusion.
Other recipes popular in Chile with ground beef besides pastel de papas:
- Fricandela Chilean burger patty
- Ground beef and eggs scramble (Huevos con carne molida)
- Zucchini boats with rice and ground beef (Zapallitos rellenos con carne y arroz)
- Empanadas de Pino (Chilean ground beef empanadas)
- Pastel de choclo
Chilean Pastel de Papas Shepherd’s Pie
A classic Chilean dish, very simple and comforting.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4
Ingredients
for the meat,
- 1 large onion, chopped into small cubes
- 500 grams of ground beef, not lean
- salt, oil, pepper, merkén
for the mashed potatoes,
- 8 medium potatoes, suggested Yukon Gold
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup of warm whole milk
- Salt
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- sugar to brown
- 1/2 grilled or cooked chicken breast, optional
- 10 raisins soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes, optional
Instructions
- Cook the eggs. Place the eggs in a small pot and cook over medium-high heat. Once it starts to boil, cook for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let it stand for 10 minutes. Strain and put it in cold water to stop cooking.
- Wash and peel the potatoes, cutting them into cubes of the same approximate size. Place them in a large pot and cover them with plenty of cold water. Add salt, cover, and cook over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and easily pierced with a fork.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat one tablespoon of oil in a big skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and occasionally cook, stirring until it is translucent about 5 minutes. Add the meat and let cook for 2-3 minutes without moving it to brown. Stir and continue cooking. Add salt, pepper, and merkén to taste.
- Strain the potatoes and return them to the pot. With a masher or a fork, grind the potatoes. Add the butter and half of the warm milk, let stand covered for a few minutes, stir well, and taste. Adjust the salt, and add more milk until it is the consistency of a puree.
- Assemble the pie in an oven dish. Place the meat first, and distribute the chicken, raisins, and hard-boiled egg in order if used.
- Put the mashed potatoes in generous tablespoons and then spread to cover everything.
- Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- If hot, place it under the oven’s grill for 5-8 minutes until it is browned, and serve immediately.
- The usual method is to reheat in a preheated oven to 200C or 400F until it bubbles at the edges and is browned on top, 30-40 minutes. You can finish it by browning the top using the broiler, as desired.
- Or you can keep it refrigerated for up to 3 days and bake before serving.
- Serve hot.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Savory
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Chilean
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 654
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 206.8 mg
- Fat: 23.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 62.7 g
- Fiber: 8.4 g
- Protein: 46.2 g
Exactly how my grandma made it!
I love your recipes and cookbook!
Thank you Amanda! Much appreciated.