Saturday 4 January 2014

Recipe - Herby Shepherds Pie

This one is our version of a recipe in 50 Suppers.
The original recipe used lamb mince and rosemary.  We had beef mince and all that's left alive in our herb pots are rosemary, thyme and sage so we used a mixture of those.  This made enough for 4.  It did us for two nights.... we think tomatoey dishes are always better the second time around anyway.

Ingredients
500g peeled potatoes, cut into chunks
Milk / butter to make mash to your preference
500g beef mince (or lamb mince)
Olive oil
1 tsp crushed garlic from a jar
1 onion, diced
450ml passata
Red wine, 200-250ml (or beef stock)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
A good handful of fresh herbs finely chopped
Black pepper

Method
Pre-heat the oven on gas mark 6.

Boil the potatoes to make mash - however you prefer (we just added a bit of milk) - while you continue on with browning the mince.
Stir half the parmesan into the mash.

Brown the mince in a large frypan, remove from pan, draining off any liquid.
Add a little olive oil to the pan and saute onion and garlic until onion is clear but not browned.  
Return the mince to the pan.
Add the herbs and then the red wine.
Simmer until the wine is reduced by about half.
Add the passata to the mixture and return to the boil.
Simmer for about 20 minutes or so until it's thickening and there's no longer liquid running around the edges.
Spoon the mince mixture into a pie dish or similar and spread the mashed potato on top.
Grind black pepper over, sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and bake in the oven for 15 minutes or so - until the top is browning.

2 comments:

Dave,Beryl Bradshaw said...

Surely with beef it is cottage pie and with lamb it is shepherds pie.
But no doubt both taste delicious.
Dave Beryl nb Sokai

Elly and Mick said...

Hmmm... we've always called it shepherds pie regardless of what the mince is. But, I've investigated and it seems you're right. Cottage pie with beef! Oh well. :)
Elly