Upon the request of Mina, this has been made dairy-free. For those that are not lactose intolerant, I would suggest adding 1/2 pint of double cream and a knob of butter to the mashed potato, and topping with a bit of cheddar cheese, instead of paprika.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 1lb minced lamb
• 1 large onion
• 1/2 pint beef stock or bouillon
• Tomato ketchup and/or Worcestershire Sauce (optional)
• 4 large potatoes or 6 medium potatoes (a floury variety is best)
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 clove garlic
• Paprika

Method

1. Peel the potatoes, chop them into sixths, and put in boiling water while you prepare the meat.
2. Peel and chop the onion into medium-sized pieces. Slowly fry it in a little olive oil until it softens and starts to brown (about 12-15 minutes over a gentle heat).
3. Add the mince, turn up the heat slightly and stir fry for another minute until the mince has browned.
4. Add the stock and as an optional extra, either a good squeeze of tomato ketchup or lashings of Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper as necessary. Set the heat to a steady simmer, cover the pan and allow to cook for 20 minutes.
5. After the potatoes have been cooking for 30 minutes, drain them and mash them. Separate the egg yolks from the whites and beat the whites until a stiff, meringue consistency.
6. Finely chop the garlic, and mix the egg yolks and garlic thoroughly with the mashed potato. Fold the egg whites in slowly so the mixture doesn't deflate.
7. Pour the lamb and onions into a shallow casserole dish and top with a double layer of mashed potato. Smooth the top with a palate knife or spatula and sprinkle with paprika.
8. Bake the dish for around 30 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 180°C (Gas Mark 5), until the top of the potato browns.

Variations

Instead of serving shepherds pie with fresh veg, add them to the meat part of the dish. Peas, boiled carrots, or mushrooms can all be added after the stock.

Cottage pie is pretty much the same dish, of course, but using beef mince instead of lamb.

Back to my recipe book.