early cookery books, the dish was a means of using leftover roasted meat of any kind, and the pie dish was lined with mashed potato as well as having a mashed potato crust on top.[7][8]
The term "shepherd's pie" did not appear until 1877,[2] and since then it is sometimes used synonymously with "cottage pie", regardless of whether the principal ingredient was beef or mutton.Ouside the United States, the term "shepherd's pie" is used when the meat is lamb.