Shepherd’s Pie

This is a Shepherd’s Pie recipe, made from lamb… if you make it with beef it is called a Cottage Pie. Most people are unaware of this fact and make Cottage Pie and call is Shepherd’s Pie (little bit of a pet hate, can’t you tell?)

I have to say that every time I make this it is different as I usually just put what ever vegetables I have left over in the fridge, but this is the recipe I nailed down, if I had all the perfect ingredients.

This is the best recipe for the end of the week to use all those left over vegetables at the bottom of the fridge (you know they are down there somewhere). You can even make a double batch of this and put it onto containers into the freezer… then on one of those night you just put it in the oven pour you glass of wine and sit till it is ready and then serve to the hungry hordes!

The lamb mince can be substituted for beef mince, but to reiterate, you must then call it a cottage pie.

Traditionally the Shepard’s pie was made using already cooked lamb/mutton and was a second meal to use up the left overs, so also please feel free to make the yummy mixture and then add cooked meat, you just won’t have to do the finally cooking for as long.

Another yummy thing I do is cook half potatoes and half sweet potato as it gives the topping a really delicious flavour.

Here is my base, you play and discover your favourite way to make this classic meal!

Ingredients – Makes a lot, feeds 8 – 10 

2 onions
2 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons butter (80g)
2 tablespoon plain flour (80g)
1kg of lamb mince
2 carrots
2 zucchinis
200g mushrooms
150g peas
150g corn
(honestly you can put any vegetables that you like, cauliflower, broccoli etc…)
4 tablespoons tomato sauce (80g)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (20g)
100g red wine or water
Juice of 1/2 a lemon (20g)
1 teaspoon mustard powder/mustard
1 tablespoon stock paste or stock cube
2 teaspoons raw sugar
Grated cheese and sliced tomatoes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Approximately 1-2 kg of Cooked Mashed Potato for the top (depending on how thick you want it

Still waiting for the mash to go one top 🙂 Makes a lot!

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C.
2. Chop onions and garlic and saute in butter, add flour and begin to cook the flour
3. Add lamb and stir around making sure the mixtures are well combined.
4. When lamb is almost cooked add grated carrots, Zucchinis, Sweet potato, pea, corn, and all other ingredients (except mashed potato) cook for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow meat to cook through.
At this point you could leave the lamb to cool and scrape off the excess fat as lamb mince can be fatty, your choice!
5. Place meat mixture in a large baking dish or into small aluminium freezer dishes leaving enough room for the mashed potato.

Here is where you can also experiment. I often put some slices of tomato, grated cheese or both in-between the meat and the potato layer, just for a little extra flavour and to make it a bit more interesting!

6. Place mashed potato on top of the meat layer making sure that the mashed potato has nice peaks (they get brown and crispy) pop a few teaspoons of butter dotted around the mashed potato and place in the oven at 180° C to cook for 30 – 40 minutes until parts of the mashed potato are golden brown.
7. Eat.

THERMOMIX METHOD

This recipe is suitable for the Tm31, 5 and TM6 

1. Chop zucchini’s, carrots and mushrooms 5 seconds/speed 6. You will need to use the spatula to help the ingredients move around. Set aside in another bowl
2. Without cleaning the bowl, Chop onions and garlic 3 seconds/speed 7 then scrape down the bowl.
3. Add butter and sauté for 4 minutes/Varoma/speed 2, add flour and cook for another 4 minutes/Varoma/speed 2.
4. Add stock Paste, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red wine or water, lemon juice, mustard powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Add reserve chopped veggies and about 500g of the lamb. Place the mixing basket gentle into the Thermomix and place the remaining lamb into the basket.

It goes to the maximum in the TM31 🙂

5. Place the measuring cup in the lid and cook for 30 minutes/100 degrees/reverse/speed 1. Remove the lid and give the meat in the basket a bit of a stir, then cook for another 30 minutes/100 degrees/reverse/speed 1.

6. Place meat mixture in a large dish and stir in peas and corn and make sure any chunks of mince are broken up as well as salt and pepper to taste. I don’t worry if it isn’t completely cooked it will cook more in the oven.

If you want to cool the mixture at this stage and remove excess fat, please do!

7. Place mixture into a large baking dish or into small aluminium freezer dishes, leaving enough room for the mashed potato.

Here is where you can also experiment. I often put some slices of tomato, grated cheese or both in-between the meat and the potato layer, just for a little extra flavour and to make it a bit more interesting!

6. Place mashed potato* on top of the meat layer making sure that the mashed potato has nice peaks (they get nice and brown) pop a few teaspoons of butter dotted around the mashed potato and place in the oven to cook for 30 – 40 minutes until parts of the mashes potato go brown.

*You can steam your potatoes for mashing before or after you make the meat layer. It doesn’t matter if you make it before and it goes cold as you are going to put it back into the oven. While the mashed potatoes in the EDC/BCB is good, I find that they are a little too smooth, I still like my potatoes steamed in the mixing basket with water then empty the water out of the mixing bowl, place in the butterfly and mash with butter and milk 30 seconds/speed 4.

The great thing about this dish is that it is a complete meal.. You have your meat and 3 veg all in one… so no need to serve anything else with it. Or you can make it go even further and make a green salad and have some bread to slack up all the yummy juices. Personally I just like it straight out of the aluminium container, then when I’m finished it goes into the bin, so not even any washing up!

It is also a fantastic meal to make to give to people who just need a meal to help them out. You can put it into containers and into the freezer (uncooked) and all they have to do is get it out of the freezer, pop it in the oven and it is a complete meal. it also works very well at a pot luck dinner, (yes they still happen) or, it is a fantastic meal just to have in the freezer for those times when you just don’t have time!

Don’t forget you can make it exactly the same with beef mince, just call it a Cottage Pie 🙂

I hope you like this version of a Shepherd’s Pie, why don’t you let me know what you normally put in your version… everyone’s is different, and I loved to hear how you make yours!

Enjoy Irresponsibly!

Liz xx

Elizabeth Connolly

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I have been cooking since I can remember. I am a Thermomix consultant, so now (whenever possible) try to give you Conventional AND Thermomix methods for the recipes. I like to share tips on how to save money and how making food from scratch isn't really that hard (especially with a Thermomix). If you have any questions about the Thermomix or cooking/food in general please email me as I'm happy to chat.
Liz xx
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