Shepherd's Pie
Not to be confused with its beefy cousin the cottage pie: shepherd's pie is made with lamb, and only lamb. Slow-cooked with rosemary and a good glug of Worcestershire, then crowned with clouds of buttery mash.
Ingredients
700 g lamb mince
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato purée
300 ml lamb or beef stock
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
1 kg floury potatoes (Maris Piper), peeled
100 g salted butter
80 ml whole milk, warm
60 g mature Cheddar, grated (optional)
Method
- 1
Brown the lamb mince in a wide pan, breaking it up, until deeply coloured. Spoon off any excess fat, leaving just a slick behind.
- 2
Add the onion, carrots and garlic and cook until soft and sweet, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for a further two minutes.
- 3
Pour in the stock, Worcestershire sauce and rosemary. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes until the mixture is thick and glossy. Taste and season.
- 4
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until tender, drain well and mash with the butter and warm milk until silky. Season generously.
- 5
Tip the mince into a baking dish, spoon the mash over and rough up with a fork. Scatter with cheese if using. Bake at 200°C for 25 minutes until the peaks are burnished and crisp.
Cook's notes
A splash of red wine reduced in with the tomato purée adds extraordinary depth. And do not skip the fork-rough finish — those little peaks turn into crackling shards in the oven.