Shepherd's pie

Tasty hearty comfort food at its best

A firm family favourite here, perfect for a chilly November Sunday dinner. I absolutely love shepherd's pie and this version is especially delicious - the Worcestershire sauce and ketchup add a certain something that just elevates it above the norm. (I just asked my husband to proof read this recipe and he says he's now salivating and can we have it tonight please?!) I like it best made with leftover roast lamb and gravy but it's rare that I would roast a big joint and in all honesty, this is quite a lot of work for a Monday night dinner. So as often as not, I will just use raw minced lamb and it's still amazing. (And by all means substitute with minced beef if you prefer a cottage pie.)

Great for a busy Sunday if you're organised enough to have made it in advance, so on the day it just needs popping into the oven.

I like to top my shepherd's pie with a mixed root mash - just use equal quantities of potatoes and 2 or 3 other root veg of your choice. My go to combination is potato, carrot and swede - but you could also try parsnip, celeriac, sweet potato... you get the idea. Not only does this make for a very tasty mash but it's also a great way of quietly upping the veg content: win:win.

The only other question is whether to top with grated cheese. I don't and never realised how controversial this was until I mentioned it to a friend recently, who was horrified! I don't feel this recipe needs it, but if you do then obviously go for it. I like this served with simple green veg on the side, usually peas and/or broccoli.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the filling:

500g lamb (leftover from a roast or raw minced)

1tbsp olive oil

1-2 onions, chopped

1-2 carrots, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped

Leftover gravy if you have any or a little stock if not

1/2 glass red wine

1tbsp tomato ketchup

1-2tsp Worcestershire sauce (or to taste)

Salt & pepper

For the mash:

Equal quantities of potato and 2-3 other root veg, about 1kg in total, peeled and chopped

Butter

Milk

Nutmeg

Salt & pepper

Method

1. If you're using leftover meat then start by chopping into all into small pieces, about the size of a pea.

2. Heat the oil in a very large frying pan and sweat the onion and carrots together until soft. Add the garlic and give it another minute or two.

3. Then add the meat and fry until nicely browned.

4. Next add the gravy or stock, wine, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for a couple of minutes. Check the seasoning and add salt & pepper and perhaps some more Worcestershire sauce to taste (be fairly bold!), then simmer for 20-30 mins. Keep an eye on the liquid levels while it's cooking and add a touch more stock if it starts looking too dry.

5. Meanwhile make the mash. Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water and simmer until tender. At the same time put the swede in a second pan and simmer, adding the carrots after 10 mins or so. Cook until all the veg are tender then drain and return to the hot pans and leave for a minute or two to dry off a little.

6. Mash the potatoes with warm milk and butter. Puree the carrot and swede together with a splash of milk. (I used my trusty stick blender for this) Then mix the two together, seasoning with salt pepper and a good grating of nutmeg. You want a creamy but fairly stiff mash for this so adjust the amount of milk and butter if you need to.

7. Put the meaty filling into a suitable ovenproof dish then pile the mash on top, spreading it right to the edges and roughing up the top with a fork. You can chill the pie at this point or pop in the freezer for extra smug organised points.

8. When you're ready to eat, preheat the oven to 200C and cook the pie until it's piping hot and the mash topping is nicely browned. Probably about 25mins if it goes in warm or 45mins if you take it out of the fridge. Serve with green veg.