Shepherds Pie
Shepherds Pie is a proper winter warmer, hearty mince, mustardy potatoes, I feel like Shepherds Pie is what we need to get us through this incredibly dull winter. This Shepherds Pie uses cull yaw, rather than lamb, which you can read more about in the Tips, it definetly makes a big difference so try and get your hands on some!
🛒Ingredients
500grams Minced Cull Yaw
Heaped teaspoon of dripping
1 large carrot
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
Good glug of Worcestershire sauce
125ml of Port
Half a tin of tomatoes
Tablespoon tomato puree
Handful of fresh thyme leaves
Teaspoon dried thyme
250ml Lamb stock
250ml Chicken stock
500grams of Yukon gold potatoes
150grams of butter 👀
150ml whole milk
2 teaspoons English Mustard
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
White pepper
Parmesan Cheese
📖Method
Begin to melt dripping in a large frying pan, once heated fry off meat. You can fry off the meat in batches if your pan isn't big enough, try not to overload your pan.
If cooking in batches, remove each batch with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan and pop in a colander inside a bowl to allow the fat to drain out. On the final batch, drain the fat out of the pan, you can leave a little behind, but try and get most of it out. Set your meat aside.
Add finely diced onion and cook down on medium-low heat until they start to turn translucent.
After 10ish minutes of cooking the onions, add in grated garlic cloves and combine.
Add in finely diced carrot and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Push the carrot, onion & garlic to the side of the pan and add your tomato puree, allow it to fry off for a couple of minutes before stirring it through the veg.
Add the dried & fresh thyme and stir through.
Re-add the meat and stir together and increase to a medium-high heat.
Add your Worcestershire sauce and as soon as it begins to dry up again, add in your port and leave to cook for a couple minutes to cook off the alcohol.
Blitz up half a tin of tomatoes and add to the mix. Cook for a further couple minutes before adding your stock.
Reduce to a medium-low heat and leave to cook until most of the moisture has gone. Roughly an hour - hour and half. Leave the lid off, stir occasionally.
Once reduced, leave it to cool, it will thicken when cooling & you don't want it too hot else you'll melt the mash.
For the mash
Pre-heat your oven to 180degrees.
Peel & dice the potatoes into smallish cubes.
Boil in salted water until soft (15-20mins).
Whilst the potatoes are boiling, melt your butter and milk together.
Once melted add your mustard and white pepper.
When the potatoes are done, drain them in a colander and put them through a potato ricer. You want to do this immediately, so they're still hot.
Add them back into the pan you just drained, and gradually add the butter/milk mix. Do this slowly so you don't end up with runny mash.
Combine until you have a soft smooth mash.
To Finish
Pour your cooled meat mixture into an oven dish and cover in grated parmesan.
Add your mash to a piping bag and pipe in small dollops to cover the meat.
Bake in the oven on 180degrees for 20 minutes, until it's golden and bubbling.
Serve with peas & brown sauce.