Classic British Lamb Shepherd's Pie
A British comfort food classic, featuring a richly flavoured slow-cooked minced lamb, topped with mashed potato & served with gravy.
Equipment
- 1 Heavy Bottom Pot
- 1 Oven Dish
- 1 Piping Bag & Nozzle optional
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Cooking Oil
- 500 g Minced Lamb
- 400 g Soffrito (mix of finely chopped onions, carrots & celeries)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 3 Red Chillies optional
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Dried Rosemary
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 550 ml Lamb Stock
- 1 cup Frozen Peas
- 1 kg Maris Piper Potatoes cut into chunks
- 4 tbsp Whole Milk
- 1 cup Cheddar Cheese shredded
- 100 g Butter salted or unsalted
- 2 Egg yolks
- Salt & Black Pepper to taste
- Gravy to serve
Instructions
- Heat cooking oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the minced lamb for about 5 minutes until browned and a crust has formed.1 tbsp Cooking Oil, 500 g Minced Lamb
- Remove the lamb from the pot and set aside. There should be lamb fat and meat residue left in the pot.
- Turn the heat to medium. Add the soffrito and saute for 5-10 minutes until the vegetables are golden & softened.400 g Soffrito (mix of finely chopped onions, carrots & celeries)
- Add the garlic & chillies (if using). Cook for about 2 minutes until fragrant.2 cloves Garlic, 3 Red Chillies
- Add the lamb back into the pot.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then season with dried rosemary and dried thyme.2 tbsp Tomato Paste, 1 tsp Dried Rosemary, 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- Deglaze the pot with about 250mL of the lamb stock for a few minutes until reduced.550 ml Lamb Stock
- Add in bay leaves and the rest of the lamb stock. Bring to a gentle boil then turn to low heat. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.2 Bay Leaves
- Mix in the frozen peas and cover to cook for another 10-15 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.1 cup Frozen Peas, Salt & Black Pepper
- While the mince filling is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it generously with salt. Cook the potatoes for 12-15 minutes until softened.1 kg Maris Piper Potatoes
- Drain & remove the cooked potatoes from the pot. Season with salt & black pepper and add in milk, butter, and cheddar cheese. Mash everything together until smooth.4 tbsp Whole Milk, 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, 100 g Butter
- Then mix the two yolks into the mash.2 Egg yolks
- Preheat your oven to 200°C.
- Bring out a large oven dish and spread all the mince into a layer. Top it with mashed potatoes and smooth it out. Use a fork to score a few lines on the mash. (Tip: if you want to make the pie look pretty, use a piping bag to pipe the mashed potatoes on top of the mince)
- Put the dish into the oven and bake for about 30-40 minutes until the top is golden.
- Allow to cool down for 10-15 minutes, then serve warm with gravy.Gravy
Notes
- Adding chillies is completely optional. You can omit it if you don't like any hints of spice.
- Traditional Shepherd’s Pie uses a dash of red wine to deglaze when cooking the meat. For halal diet, I use a dash of beef or lamb stock instead of alcohol.
- To key to getting a rich flavour & moist texture from the mince is keeping it at low heat when simmering the meat.
- After simmering, the liquids should have reduced and the mince should turn out to a thick & moist consistency. If the mixture is still rather liquidy, cook for a little longer until it slightly reduces. A sloppy meat base wouldn’t be able to hold up the pie and may even collapse when serving.
- Use floury potatoes to make the mash, e.g. Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes or Yukon Gold & Russets for Americans. Avoid using waxy potatoes such as baby potatoes, white potatoes, red potatoes, etc. Waxy potatoes would result in a very gummy mash which is not ideal.
- Watch out for the consistency of your mashed potatoes. You’d want to aim for a fluffy but firm texture so that the shepherd’s pie wouldn’t turn out sloppy.
- You can use salted or unsalted butter for the mash depending on your preference or what you have on hand. If using salted butter, make sure you taste the mash and adjust your salt seasoning accordingly.
- Adding egg yolks to the mash is a technique introduced by Dominic Chapman, featured on Great British Chef. This is to give the mash layer a golden crust & glossy finish,
- Want to make this Shepherd's Pie look pretty? Try using a piping bag & pipe the mashed potatoes into your desired patterns.