Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Preparation: 25 minutes | Cooking: 2 Hours | Serves: 4

Shepherd’s pie is a winter classic – the rich and hearty flavours are perfect for adding a comforting and warming touch to any winter’s night.

Ingredients

• 3 brown onions, finely sliced
• 3 cloves crushed garlic
• 100 ml red wine
• 500 g lamb mince
• 100 g swiss brown mushroom
• 100 g green peas (optional)
• 250 ml beef stock
• 50 g corn flour
• 60 g butter
• 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 10 sprigs thyme, picked
• 1 bunch curly parsley, chopped
• mashed potato
• 1 sprig rosemary

Method

1. Put the butter and half the oil in a pan then sweat the onion and garlic on a very low heat for approximately 1 hour. You are trying to caramelise the onion which will give a great depth of flavour and sweetness to the pie.
2. In a separate pan, fry the lamb mince in batches until golden. Use a hot pan so the mince doesn’t stew. Once it’s golden, tip it into the onion pot.
3. Turn the heat up and add the mushrooms. Cook until they take some colour then add the red wine. Reduce by half then add the stock. Cook for about 30 minutes.
4. Add enough water to the corn flour to make a slurry then slowly pour into the lamb. Stir quickly with a wooden spoon or whisk. Continue until the sauce has thickened to ‘pie’ consistency.
5. Add the rosemary and thyme then cook on low for a further 10 minutes. Check the seasoning then remove the rosemary. Fold through the parsley and peas.
6. Spoon the beef mixture into a shallow baking dish. Spoon the mash over the beef, spread it out, and rough the mash up a little with a fork. Cook uncovered at 220ºC for about 20-25 minutes or until thoroughly hot.

Tips

• Don’t forget to serve with a glass of red!