[Ehill]

As the title says.......hit me with your best and favourite Shepherd's Pie recipe. It is something that I quite like but I have never found a really good recipe.

Preferably without a bought flavour base type thing. On Monday night I am cooking dinner for my family as well my BF's family as she has had an operation. They are fairly organic-only type eaters and I generally try to steer away from these anyway. Bought stock is fine if beef stock is used. I have plenty of time on Monday afternoon to cook it so time is not an issue. It will be for their dinner on Tuesday.

TIA

[credence]

No need for a flavour base.

What you need:

About 1 kg good quality lamb mince.
an onion
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 carrots finely chopped
2 stalks celery finely chopped
a bay leaf or two
1 L chicken stock
a tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to season
olive oil

1 kg peeled potatoes, diced
100g butter
a little milk


Fry off the onion, garlic, carrot and celery until softnened. Add the mince and cook until browned and starting to crisp up. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and simmer for about an hour - an hour and a half until thick and reduced.

Meanwhile make the potato topping by boiling the potatoes, draining well then mashing with the butter and just enough milk to make a stiff mash.

Pour the meat filling in a baking tray topped with the mash. Dot the top of the mash with a little extra butter and put in a hot oven for half an hour or so to heat through and for the top to brown.

[aimee28]

I use one very similar to this one, you can add extra bits and pieces to it if you want.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/24664/shepherds+pie

[dogged]

Recipe schmecipe.

You need left over roast lamb. I've been known to roast a leg of lamb just so as I can have shepherd's pie. This is a rather trad version so definitely NOT beef (which does not a shepherd's pie make) and no tomato paste or garlic.

Chop into rough chunks then blitz in a food processor until cooked lamb is coarsely minced.
Fry off an onion in butter until softened and golden, then add your lamb and cook until brown. Add salt, pepper, parsley or a little thyme, and a generous splosh of Worcestershire sauce. Sprinkle with flour and cook, stirring, one good minute. Then add chicken stock and/or a little red wine and cook until well thickened.

Place in a pie or lasagne dish and cover with a good coating of well seasoned creamy mashed potato. Rough up the top of the mash with a fork, dot with butter, and brown in a hot oven 20 mins.

mmmmmm

[~kuddlebug~]

I make this one:

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/2335/classic+shepherds+pie

Instead of the potato topping, I do a sweet potato and pumpkin mash (a medium sweet potato and just a small amount of pumpkin) mashed with lots of butter and a dash of milk. I sprinkle a little salt on top and bake for 10-15 min. I also find it works better making the meat the day before and chilling it in the pie dish, then putting the mash on top when the meat is still cold and warming it all in the oven.

[Jemstar]

I do much the same credence except I use left over roast lamb, and beef stock (and not nearly as much - probably about a cup) and sometimes hide a few other veggies in the meat. Although I am liking the sound of lamb mince, I think you could make a nice variation with that.

[Ehill]

Thank you ladies! Definitely enough for me to pull a decent one together.

Small confession.....I had only used beef mince. Soooooo going with the lamb. Roast lamb would be delicious although I need quite a lot as she has 3 boys and they eat masses so roast lamb might be a bit expensive for 2 family meals. Might do that next time just for us as two meals.

[countrymel]

Go the roast lamb...

Honestly.

You can pad the thing out with lots of extra veggies - the roast lamb (I just chop mine with a knife) is SO, SO, SO superior in flavour...

I can stretch a small roast lamb here for about 6 meals for two gluttonous adults - starting with 'the roast' and moving along to shepherd's pie/curry/traditional pie/et.al...

[Funnington]

Recipe schmecipe.

Haha, I was thinking the same thing - I have never followed a recipe for shepherd's pie, ever.

Go the roast lamb...

Honestly.

Definitely this ^

Tonight we're having roast lamb and I will always do (depending on leftovers) a shepherd's pie the following night.

I basically finely chop the leftover lamb, fry with an onion, add fresh rosemary (garlic if you wish, this is one dish I don't add garlic too) and make a gravy using beef stock, tomato paste, tinned tomatoes and a good grinding of salt & pepper.

Put in a casserole dish, allow the mixture to cool a little and top with mashed potato. I put shaved Parmesan on top of the potato, another good grinding of salt & pepper and a knob of butter and bake until the top is brown and crispy.

I let it rest a bit once cooked so I can cut it into nicer slices (it's too sloppy if you cut it up straight out of the oven).

So, plan ahead. If your guests are coming Monday night, have a roast lamb Sunday (you'll need a big leg) and use the leftovers for a 'proper' shepherd's pie.

(I believe some traditionalists mince the lamb in an old fashioned mincer).

[nome.b]

500g steak mince
1onion ,chopped
1small carrot grated
1\2 c water
peooer
1 beef stock cube
2 tablespoon flour
1 or 2 tomatoes (optional)
4 large potatoes
2-3 tablespoons milk
parsley


1.Place meat,chopped onion and grated carrot in a saucepan.
2.Add water,pepperand beef cube.
3.Cook over a gentle haet until well cooked.
add more water if needed
4.Sprinkle over flour and mix well
Allow to thicken
5.Pour into pie dish and cover with sliced tomato.
6.prepare potatoes and cook in boiling water
7.Drain and mash well add butter and milk.
keep mixture fairly dry
8. spread over top of meat and mark with a fork .
9.bake in a moderate oven until golden brown.
10. serve hot garnished with parsley