British by KitchenFeed
Shepherd's Pie
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 h 10 min
Total 1 h 20 min
Serves 6 Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 onion, finely chopped 1 carrot, finely chopped 1 rib celery, finely chopped 3/4 tsp each dried thyme and rosemary (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme + 1 sprig rosemary) 750g (1.5 lb) ground lamb (mince) OR beef 1/4 cup flour, plain/all purpose 1/4 cup tomato paste 2 cups beef stock / broth 1/2 cup red wine (or water) 1 beef bouillon cube, crumbled 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 bay leaves, dried or fresh 3/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 cup frozen peas Mashed potato: 1.2kg (2.2 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1" cubes Mashed potato: 2/3 cup milk (whole or low fat) Mashed potato: 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter Cheesy crust: 2 - 3 tbsp grated parmesan, optional Cheesy crust: 2 tbsp (30g) unsalted butter, melted Fresh thyme leaves, optional garnish Steps
Step-by-step
1 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 2 Add the onion and garlic and cook 1 minute. 3 Add the carrot, celery, thyme and rosemary and cook 3 minutes until softened. 4 Turn heat to high, add the ground lamb and cook, breaking it up, until browned. 5 Stir in the flour. 6 Add the tomato paste, beef stock, red wine, crumbled bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves; stir well. 7 Bring to a simmer and cook 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a thick gravy. 8 Season with the salt and pepper, then taste and adjust. 9 Transfer the filling to a 1.5 litre / 1.5 quart baking dish and stir through the peas. 10 Cool the filling (refrigerate 1-2 hours or pop in the freezer while you make the mash). 11 Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F. 12 Boil the potatoes in plenty of water for 15 minutes until soft, then drain and steam dry 30 seconds in the hot pot. 13 Mash with the butter, then add the milk, salt and pepper and mash until smooth and spreadable. 14 Spread the mash over the filling and draw squiggles over the surface with a fork. 15 Sprinkle with parmesan and drizzle with the melted butter. Notes Oven 180°C/350°F (fan and standard). Cook the filling until it is as thick as you want it — it won't reduce further in the oven. Cooling the filling before topping stops the potato weeping in and makes it easier to spread; freezer-chilling while you make the mash works if you're short on time. Use beef mince instead of lamb for Cottage Pie. Carrot and celery can be omitted — add 1 tsp sugar instead. Water can replace the red wine.
Photo: Abhinaba Basu from Redmond, United States · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Source: RecipeTin Eats
