Pic of Shepherd's pie

Shepherd's pie

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Lamb

Shepherd's pie

Main Serves 5 1h 30 min
Rich, aromatic meat and tender veg topped with fluffy mash. Shepherd's pie (or cottage pie) began as an improvised dish for using up the remains of the Sunday roast, but it's worth making from scratch to enjoy for dinner on a cold evening. There's no need to be too exact about quantities; this is a good way of using up odds and ends from your veg box.

Ingredients

  • 800g potatoes, peeled, in equal-sized lumps
  • 50g butter, melted
  • 1-2 onions, chopped
  • 1-2 carrots, diced
  • 1-2 sticks celery, finely sliced
  • sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 500g left over roast lamb (preferable), roughly minced, or minced lamb, fried until just cooked
  • 175ml red wine
  • squeeze tomato ketchup
  • dash Worcestershire sauce
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 300ml lamb or beef stock and gravy if you have it
  • salt and pepper

Method

Prep time: 15 min
Cooking time: 1h 15 min

  • Step 1

    Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.

  • Step 2

    Boil potatoes in salted water until soft, then drain and leave the potatoes to dry out for 10 minutes or so (lid off).

  • Step 3

    Mash as smoothly as you can, then add melted butter. Season.

  • Step 4

    For the base, sauté the onion, carrots and celery in a few tablespoons of oil.

  • Step 5

    Add the lamb, then all other ingredients except the stock. Cook together for a couple of minutes to combine.

  • Step 6

    Add the stock and gravy if you have it and cook until the liquid reduces and you have a stewy consistency.

  • Step 7

    Pour into a shallow ovenproof dish - there should be a good inch of space above the meat. If you have time to let the meat cool in the fridge, the mash will be easier to spread.

  • Step 8

    Drop spoonfuls of mash to cover the meat and spread roughly using a fork.

  • Step 9

    Bake in a the oven for 25-45 minutes until the potato is golden and the sauce is bubbling.

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