Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- About 1kg leftover roast lamb, coarsely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- Any juices or gravy saved from the joint, and/or concentrated lamb stock made from the bone
- 1 small glass of red wine
- 1-2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- Up to 1kg creamy mashed potato (made with 1kg large, floury potatoes, 150ml whole millk and 50g butter)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wide saucepan big enough to accommodate all of the ingredients. Brown the meat in the pan, then remove onto a plate.
2. Sweat the onions in the same pan until just beginning to turn lightly golden. Return the meat to the pan, along with any gravy, juices or stock, the wine and a tablespoon each of ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for a few minutes, adding a little water if the mixture looks dry. Taste for seasoning and add a little more ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt or pepper, as you see fit. Simmer gently for another 20–30 minutes, until the meat is tender and the flavours well blended. Do a final taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Again, add a little more water, or wine, to loosen the mixture if you think it needs it.
3. Put the meat in a pie dish or casserole dish and pile the mash on top, covering the meat completely. Use a fork to rough up the surface of the mash. Bake in a fairly hot oven (200°C/Gas Mark 6) for 30–40 minutes until the mash is nicely browned on top and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges. Serve at once, ideally with minted peas.
Lat's variation
As a pointer to this recipe, it's nicer with something like shoulder where the lamb is more tender than, say, leg, as shoulder melts away into a smoother sauce and is lovely. I also add a few chopped carrots with the onion, and sliced leek and grated cheese to the mash, with more cheese to go on top.
