by Irfan Shah

Created on: October 12, 2009

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is a luscious and hearty meal. It is the best kind of 'peasant' food, having evolved from a recipe designed to use up roasted meats cooked together under a crust of mashed potato.

It's simple food made from staples that were affordable for most people (Wikipedia dates the first usage of recipe name to 1791, when potatoes were being introduced to British cooking as a cheap and available food source)

Shepherd's Pie is distinguished from Cottage Pie as it uses lamb rather than beef as its primary filling (which presumably is why it is Shepherd's Pie).

I like to imagine that Cottage Pie was used as a name because of the delicious, rough 'roof' of potato that resembles the thatch of a modest villager's cottage.

My version of the recipe should add some new elements into the basic foundations giving it a rich, almost sweet taste. If you think the inclusion of ketchup is a vulgar addition, you're probably right, but it works well and if you make sure the sweetness it introduces is kept under control and balanced out by the other ingredients then you will have a wonderfully rounded and satisfying meal on your hands!

Ingredients:

1 onion (chopped)
A dash of olive oil
1ilb minced lamb
1-2 cloves of garlic (chopped)
1 carrot (diced)
1 cube of beef stock
1lb tomatoes (chopped)
A large handful of mushrooms (normal button mushrooms will suffice although if you feel these will be too bland, try chestnut mushrooms for a stronger, juicier taste.)
2-3 tbspns dried oregano
1 tbspn corn flour
3 tbspn tomato puree
salt and pepper
2lb potatoes
1-2 large knobs of butter

1. To begin with, heat the oil in a pan before adding the onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 mins on a medium heat until they start to soften and the onions just begin to turn translucent

2. Add the carrots and mushrooms

3. Add the mince and cook until it browns slightly

4. As it is browning, add most of the stock cube. It is an idea to keep a little and add later. As you make this recipe again and again you'll get a feel for how much you want to use. Maybe more for a richer, saltier taste, another half a cube for example added as the recipe progresses.

5. Add the tomato puree and stir in

6. Add a sprinkling of oregano

7. Add the tomatoes and stir in

8. Add corn flour, stir in and leave to simmer for around fifteen minutes while it starts to thicken.

9. While this is cooking, chop and boil the potatoes until they soften

10. Mash the potatoes adding the butter and salt and pepper

11. Put the meat filling into a deep dish. Cover with a thick spreading of the mash potato.

12. Put this under the grill until the top is brown and crisp.

13. Serve and enjoy!

Two tips for ways to develop this recipe:

The first is to add layers of taste to the mash potato. This can be done by adding a handful of grated cheese (cheddar is nice) or some more crushed garlic as you are mashing it. A drop of milk can help with the consistency as well, although be careful not to overdo this as the mash could end up too thin.

Secondly, experiment with herbs and vegetables and consider what else or what more you could add to the main filling. What I often do is to add some of the stock in powder form, and some of the herbs quite early on (as per the recipe above) but then keep some ready and add more later as my mood dictates!

Anyway it is big enough and ugly enough to withstand this kind of messing about, so go for it!

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