UntrainedChef
Meat Pie with Mashed Potato Topping - pork, comfort-food recipe

Meat Pie with Mashed Potato Topping

1 hr
2 portions

Norwegian take on Shepherd's Pie — hearty meat sauce topped with creamy mash and melted cheese. A proper weeknight dinner the whole family will eat.

Instructions

  1. 1

    Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough chunks. Boil in a pot of water until tender, then drain. Mash them and stir in the milk and butter. Season with salt, pepper, and a little nutmeg if you like.

  2. 2

    Fry the minced pork in two batches in a pan with margarine or oil. Set the meat aside, then fry the onion and carrot in the same pan until golden.

  3. 3

    Add the tomato paste and fry for another couple of minutes, stirring it in. Now add the canned tomatoes, the browned mince, and the corn. Mix it all together and season to taste.

  4. 4

    Pour the meat sauce into a deep ovenproof dish — or divide it between individual portion dishes. Spread the mashed potato over the top like a lid, then scatter the grated cheese over everything.

  5. 5

    Put the dish in the oven at 180 °C and bake for 30–40 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the top is nicely golden.

Per average serving

980
Calories
kcal
43.3
Protein
g
60.3
Carbs
g
63.9
Fat
g
8.4g
Fiber
10.5g
Sugar
1126mg
Sodium

Tips from the kitchen

  • Fry the mince in two batches, not one. If you crowd the pan, it steams instead of browns, and you lose all that colour and flavour in the meat layer.
  • Fry the tomato paste for a full two minutes before adding the canned tomatoes. It goes from sharp and raw to something deeper and a bit sweeter. Worth the extra step.
  • Let the mashed potato cool for five minutes before spreading it over the meat sauce. If it's too hot and loose, it sinks in rather than sitting on top as a proper lid.
  • The dish is done when the cheese is golden and you can see the sauce bubbling up around the edges. If the top is browning too fast, drop the temperature to 160 °C and give it a few more minutes.

Ways to vary it

  • Swap the minced pork for minced beef, or use half and half. The sauce works the same way, the flavour is just a bit different.
  • If you want to stretch it to feed more people, stir a drained tin of kidney beans or lentils into the meat sauce before it goes in the dish. It bulks it out without changing the character of the thing.
  • For a slightly crispier top, mix a handful of breadcrumbs into the grated cheese before scattering it over the mash.

Storage & leftovers

Keeps well in the fridge for up to three days, covered. It freezes fine too, best done before baking. Reheat in the oven at 180 °C for 20-25 minutes rather than the microwave, which turns the mash gluey.

What to serve with it

A simple green salad on the side is enough. Some crusty bread if you want to mop up the sauce.

UC
By Untrained ChefPublished 26 July 2026

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