Recipe: Shepherd’s Pie
This recipe can be made with either fresh minced lamb for Shepherd's pie or with fresh minced beef for Cottage Pie.
Ingredients
- Meat:
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small turnip, peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups chicken or beef bullion
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- salt and pepper
- Topping:
- 1/2 cup Cheddar, coarsely grated
- 2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes
- 4 tablespoons butter
- salt and white pepper
Preparation
Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the olive oil. Now add the onions and fry until they start to turn golden brown and caramelize. About five minutes. Now add the diced carrot and turnip and cook for another five minutes, then remove the vegetables from the pan and put them to one side.
Place the pan back on the heat and brown the meat in batches, mixing it around. Get it all nice and brown. While the meat is cooking, give it a jolly generous seasoning of salt and pepper, add cinnamon, thyme, and pre-cooked vegetables.
Stir in the flour, it will soak up all the juice, gradually add the bullion to the meat. Stir in the tomato puree. Lower heat, place a lid on the pan and let it simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
While the meat is simmering you can make the cheesy mashers. Peel the potatoes, cut them into pretty even-sized pieces and place in a steamer fitted over a large pan of boiling water. Put a lid on and steam until they're completely tender. Takes about 20 minutes.
Pre heat oven to 400°F .
When the potatoes are tender, place them in a bowl. Add the butter and mash them with a hand masher or electric hand whisk. Season with salt and white pepper, take a taste.
Once the meat is ready, spoon it into the baking dish. Spread the mashed potato evenly all over. Shower the grated cheese over and bake the whole thing in your pre-heated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the top is crusty and golden. Yummy!
Serving Size
Serves four