Food Safari's shepherd’s pie

This dish is a wonderful way of using up leftover meat. Alice’s recipe has a few additions to add extra flavour, like a dash of soy sauce for saltiness, cider for a little sweetness and lemon zest for a slight tang. As well as leftover meat, Alice says you can add other leftovers from the fridge such as peas, gravy and leeks. Topped with creamy mashed potato that forms a crispy crust when baked, this dish is delicious at any time of the day.

• serves

  8–10

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  1:15 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 500 g cooked lamb (or whatever meat you have left over)
• 8–10 medium potatoes, such as desiree 
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2–3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2–3 tsp plain flour
• 2 tsp mustard powder
• 125 ml stock (chicken, beef or vegetable)
• dash of soy sauce
• generous splash of Worcestershire sauce 
• 3 pinches ground mace
• 1 lemon, zest grated
• 125 ml apple cider
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter, plus extra for glazing
• warm milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten 
• grated cheese (optional)

Instructions

Mince the lamb in an old-fashioned mincer or in a food processor. Put the potatoes in a large pot of water and boil until soft.

Meanwhile heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the onion and celery. Fry until the onion is translucent then add the carrot. Cook over medium heat for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir in the lamb, then add the flour and mustard powder along with the stock for moisture. Stir well. Add the soy sauce, Worcestershire, mace, lemon zest and apple cider – the mixture should be gooey but not sloppy. Add the bay leaves and parsley and take off the heat.

Once the potatoes are soft, drain and mash with the butter and warm milk. Season to taste and stir in the egg.

Butter a large baking dish and add the meat mixture. Top with a thick layer of mashed potato. Sprinkle with grated cheese if you wish. Glaze the mash with some extra melted butter.

Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes or until the potato is golden on top.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.