Shepherd's Pie
I don't know about y'all but I've hit that point in the Winter game where all the warmth has seeped out of my body. Ugh. Obvs, the only way I'm found to warm up said body is to chow down on delicious warming foods. Enter the humble Shepherd's Pie. Ok, so food purists may BOO and HISS at my version of Shepherd's pie. Whatevs. It's spicy and so not kosher but guess what, it's utterly delicious. Heck, my fussy Mamabear calls dibs on it anytime I bring some over for the family.
Word of warning, the proportions listed are enough to two Lady Baker bowls worth of Shepherd's Pie. This gives you the option of baking up one Lady Baker bowls worth of Shepherd's pie and the remainder portion can be used to make Shakshuka (just add a bit more passata when cooking), spag bolognese, meaty cheesy nachos.. I can keep going on and on guys if you get what I mean.
Lastly, to preempt the eye roll and muttering...yes there are quite a few ingredients. They are mainly spices , but bear with me it's totally worth it.
Shepherd's Pie served up in an Indigo Lady Baker bowl
Ingredients
Mince:
1 kg Lamb mince
2 chorizo sausages (sliced)
1 onion diced
4 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 inches ginger (chopped)
3 tbsp tomatoe paste
1 bottle Passata
200 mls water
2 tbsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp garam marsala
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can kidney beans & 1 cup of frozen peas
Olive oil
Potatoe topping:
1 kg potatoe
2 tbsp butter
3/4 cup vintage cheddar (grated coarse)
150-200mls cream (depending on consistency)
½ bunch chives (chopped) or green portion of 2 spring onions (sliced fine)
Parmesan (for topping grated fine)
Salt and pepper to taste
Mince Method:
Preheat oven 190 degree
Fry up chorizo with some oil and remove from pot. Don’t get it too crispy though you do want to render some of the yummy fat and flavour out.
Sautee onions, ginger and garlic in same pot. Add more oil if required. Once glassy, add mince and fry on high til it’s half cooked.
Add bottle of passata and 200 mls of water to rinse bottle and add contents to pot. Add Chorizo and powders.
Cook for approx 10 mins after adding Kidney beans. In the last 5 minutes add the frozen peas. Salt and pepper to taste and lastly add Apple Cider vinegar. Make sure the mince mixture isn’t too wet or dry. Slightly saucy is just right.
Mash Method:
Once potatoes are boiled, remove skins and mash.
Add butter and 150 mls of cream, after incorporating it into the mix. Check consistency. You don’t want it too firm or too sloppy. If required, add the remainder cream.
Add vintage cheese and chive to mash and mix through. Salt and pepper to taste.
Assembling & Baking:
Add mince to Lady Baker bowl. Add Potatoe mash on top. If you want to – get fancy and decorate. Make sure to leave a 1 cm moat so when the mince mixture bubbles it has somewhere to escape. Sprinkle Parmesan to top
Bake at 190 degrees till the edges start bubbling. This takes approx 20-25 mins. Grill the top till it's all lovely and delicious.
Let it stand for 5-10 mins (it will be super hot)
Serving suggestions
- a fresh loaf of bread that you can rewarm in your cooling oven while you finish plating up your meal
- simple side salad
Like what you saw? Here's the Functionality product used in the photo: