h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Shepherds Pie has to be up there with the best of them. People would dispute it's pie-ish heritage but, oh no, not I ...

Ingredients:
As much Lamb mince as you think you could possibly need.
An onion - size depends entirely on how many you're planning on feeding.
A nob of butter
Tomato Purée
Tomato Ketchup
Worcestershire Sauce
S & P
Potatoes
A glug of milk


1) Chop the onion and then in a caserole dish melt the butter and soften the said onion.
2) Add the mince to the pan and brown all the way through. Cover the dish and let the lamd bubble away in its own juices, stirring occasionally. This can take some time.
3) When the lamb has browned thoroughly and the juices reduced, add a good slug of tomato purée as well as a good slurp of Tommy K, a healthy glug of Lea and Perrins and stir rigorously.
4) Add s & P to taste. You'll probably need to add more salt than you'd think. Lamb mince can taste incredibly bland.

While doing the above you should peel and chop enough potatoes (I find about three medium/small tatties per person, plus one for the pot, to be sufficient - depends how think you want your mash!) and boil them until they fall apart without much persuasion. Don't over boil them as then they don't mash properly.

Once cooked, drain them, and mash vigorously, stirring in a nob of butter, as much milk as is necessary to make "light fluffy peaks" and S & P to taste.

Cover the mince in the casserole dish with the mash and bung in the over for 20-30 minutes until warmed through and golden brown on top. Serve with a green (broad beans, cabbage, brocolli all faves) and relish.

You can add carrots, mushrooms or pretty much anything else to the mince to give it a little hon he hon he hon ... not that it needs it. You can also use beef mince instead of lamb but then that would be a cottage pie rather than a shepherds pie ... the concepts the same though!