Shepherds pie

Doug Sherring

This is a classic New Zealand dish that I doubt gets cooked much these days.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp	Butter, or oil to fry
3	Carrots, peeled and diced
1 to taste	Salt & freshly ground pepper
2	Onions, peeled and diced
3	Celery stalks, peeled and diced
500 g	Lamb mince (Main)
1 cup	Frozen peas
1 cup	Beef gravy, or beef stock
2 Tbsp	Almond flour, to dust

Mashed Potato Topping

4	Potatoes, peeled and cooked until tender. (Main)
2 Tbsp	Butter
½ cup	Milk
1 to taste	Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 to serve	Tomato sauce, or chutney

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degC
2. In a big fry pan melt 2 tablespoons of butter or oil.
3. Add the diced vegetables to the pan and soften these.
4. Add the lamb mince, turn up the heat and toss the mixture together until the meat is browned.
5. Add the peas. Season well with salt and pepper.
6. Dust this with 2 tablespoons of plain flour.
7. Mix and cook for another 5 minutes.
8. Add the gravy or stock. Stir over the heat until you have a thick stew-like consistency.
9. Place this mix into a shallow baking dish.

Mashed Potato Topping

1. Heat half a cup of milk with 2 tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Pour this over the cooked potatoes and mash well to combine.
3. Spread this over the top of lamb mix.
4. Dot with a few knobs of butter and place into the oven.
5. Once the pie mix is bubbling up under the potato top and the potato is slightly coloured.
6. It's ready to serve with a good home-made tomato sauce or chutney.