Shepherd's Pie

Recipe - Shepherds Pie

Comfort food at its best.  This is one of our family favourites.

Serves four

1 onion

1 carrot

1 celery stick

1 clove garlic

1 table spoon olive oil

500g lamb mince

1 table spoon plain flour

1 table spoon tomato puree

200g tinned tomato

pinch smoked paprika

275ml stock (meat or veg)

1bay leaf

1tea spoon Worcestershire sauce

handful frozen petit pois

handful frozen sweetcorn

ground black pepper

450g potatoes (Maris Piper)

100ml crème fraiche

50g unsalted butter

1. Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Then place in a pan with the olive oil and saute for five minutes over a medium heat.

2. Add the lamb mince and break up well; cook until it is browned. Add the flour and mix well, the the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, stock, bay leaf, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and pakrika; mix well, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the petis pois and sweetcorn simmer for a further five minutes.

3. Peel the potatoes and cut into chunks, cover with hot water and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain when cooked, return to the pan and shake over a low heat to steam off excess water.

4. Remove from the heat and mash with a potatoe masher until smooth, add the creme friache, butter and pepper. Mash.

5. Heat the over to 180C. Remove the bay leaf from the meat and place in a ovenproof dish (or four separate dishes). Carefully spoon the mashed potato on to the mince mix and use a fork to spread the potato over the top, covering the filling. Run a fork over the mash (this helps it to go crispy in the oven).

6. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden. Serve with Yorkshire puddings and lashings of gravy.

Variations:

Top with cheddar and breadcrumbs (panko for extra crunch)

or

Swap the lamb for beef to make Cottage Pie.