Cook, writer and food stylist, Debbie's reputation for foolproof, delicious recipes is second to none. She is renowned for her dedication to seasonal home cooking and her love of all things rustic and authentic. Simplicity over cheffy is her motto!
See more of Debbie Major’s recipes
Debbie Major
Cook, writer and food stylist, Debbie's reputation for foolproof, delicious recipes is second to none. She is renowned for her dedication to seasonal home cooking and her love of all things rustic and authentic. Simplicity over cheffy is her motto!
See more of Debbie Major’s recipes
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Ingredients
1.5kg boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed and diced
3 tbsp olive oil
100g cooking chorizo, skinned and chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
200g carrots, diced
1 small leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
2 celery sticks, diced
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp tomato purée
15g plain flour
600ml lamb or chicken stock
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
4 fresh bay leaves
For the topping
1.2 kg floury potatoes, such as King Edwards, peeled
50g butter
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
100g Manchego cheese, grated
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Prepare to the end of step 5, cooling the filling and mash before assembling. Cover and chill or freeze. Add 10-15 minutes cooking time from chilled
Season the diced lamb. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, flameproof casserole, add half the lamb and fry over a high heat until nicely browned all over. Spoon onto a plate and repeat with the rest of the lamb (you shouldn’t need any more oil for the second batch). Add the chorizo to the casserole and fry briefly until lightly golden. Scoop out to the plate.
Preheat the oven to 150°C, fan 130°C, gas 2. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the casserole with the onions and garlic and fry over a medium heat for 8-10 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Add the carrots, leek and celery and fry for 5 minutes more. Stir in the smoked paprika, tomato purée and flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring. Gradually add the stock, stirring until smooth. Bring to a simmer and add the thyme, bay leaves, lamb, chorizo and seasoning. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 11⁄2 hours, stirring occasionally.
Remove the lid from the casserole and cook uncovered in the oven for another 30 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce, by which time the lamb should be meltingly tender and just falling apart. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into large chunks, put into a large pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 20 minutes until tender then drain into a colander and leave to steam for a couple of minutes.
Melt the butter in the used potato pan, cook the garlic for 1 minute, then mash with the potatoes and parsley, off the heat. Season to taste.
Put a baking tray into the oven and heat to 200°C, fan 180°C, gas 6. Season the lamb mixture to taste and spoon into a deep 24cm x 30cm ovenproof baking dish. Spoon over the mashed potatoes, making sure they make a good seal with the edge of the dish. Lightly rough up the surface with the back of a fork and scatter over the grated cheese.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until bubbling hot and golden brown.
The concentrated tomatoes disperse and lightly thicken the beef stock. The flour is stirred with the meat and then swells and reduces as the liquid simmers. These add body to the dish, so it's not runny when served.
Classic shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb, gravy, mashed potatoes, and veggies like peas, corn, celery, and carrots. Why is my shepherd's pie soggy? Avoid a soggy pie by simmering the meat mixture for at least 8 minutes. Be sure to cook down the mixture to remove excess moisture.
Many people believe that the peasant housewives invented the pie as an easy way to repackage leftovers from their Sunday roast. The Shepherd Pie is thought to originate from Ireland and the northern parts of England.
A dish of shepherd's pie. Cottage pie is made using similar ingredients to shepherds pie - what separates them is the type of meat used. Nationally Cottage pie is made with Beef mince and Shepherds pie is made with Lamb mince.
All-purpose flour is an easy solution, as you're sure to have it in your pantry. Since it's lower in starch, you'll use more of it than you would higher-starch thickeners. Quick-cooking tapioca makes filling bright and clear, but also gives it a stippled and somewhat sticky texture.
After this, we cook the ground / mince meat – traditionally lamb but equally delicious made with beef – before adding flour (which thickens the sauce) and gravy flavourings (beef broth, tomato paste, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce and red wine which is optional).
It's called cottage pie in the U.K. because they use beef and in Ireland since the shepherds tend sheep, it's shepherd's pie. No doubt, the English put out an excellent cottage pie, but in Ireland it used to be a delicacy since the Irish couldn't afford beef they repurposed any unused veggies and meat.
shepherd's pie, dish of British Isles origin that makes use of vegetables and chopped meat cooked in a casserole topped with or surrounded by mashed potatoes.
Classic Shepherd's Pie is a comforting casserole that consists of ground lamb, carrots, and peas simmered with Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, and herbs and topped with a cheesy mashed potato layer that's baked until golden and crisp.
If meat is difficult for your loved one to chew, try making a shepherd's pie with lentils instead – an ideal option if you're looking for soft food recipes for the elderly. Cooked lentils have a softer texture and take on flavours well – they're also lower in fat and higher in fibre than beef or lamb mince.
The main difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd's pie is cottage pie uses ground beef, and Shepherd's pie uses ground lamb. Both pies are cooked with vegetables and gravy and baked under a layer of mashed potatoes. To make Shepherd's pie using this recipe, simply substitute ground lamb.
Most workers ate their meat, potatoes and corn separately but workers of mainly Asian origins, combined their rations to create shepherd's pie, a more communal dish. The French-Canadian railway workers liked this new concoction, adopted the dish, and called it “pâté chinois”, which loosely translates to Chinese pie.
The easiest way to thicken shepherd's pie filling is by sprinkling a few tablespoons of flour into the ground beef mixture as it cooks before adding it to the baking dish. The starch in the flour will absorb the extra liquid and create a thick gravy.
Just like the name suggests, cornstarch is derived from corn. Cornstarch is faster-acting than flour and forms a smooth, relatively clear filling. Just be aware that too much cornstarch can create a slimy texture.
Water can be released from your pie filling while cooking in the oven. To avoid turning your pie into a sloppy mess, add flour to the filling or add some nuts to thicken it up, like in our Chicken and Leek Pie. This will help to absorb any excess water while it's cooking and will keep the pastry crispy.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Prep time: 1 hr
