This is a quick recipe with instructions for cooking lamb mince shephard’s pie. This is a perfect dish to cook on an autumn or winter day after a long cold walk! Whilst I am writing this in August, the current weather makes it feel like Autumn! It is moderately quick to prepare and can include whichever vegetables you like whilst you can substitute the lamb mince, for beef or even pork mince. Fatty lamb mince is preferred here as it will help the meat remain moist and tender during cooking and add great taste to the dish.
As Ruxstons lamb, sourced from Horner Farm, Somerset, is 100% grass-fed it will be born in April and then not be ready until November time at the earliest as grass-fed lamb is slower to grow than a lamb that is fed cereals and grains, this will give more time for a richer flavour to develop as the lamb becomes hogget. The slow grown nature will also ensure the lamb is slightly fattier than supermarket meat whilst being from high-quality cuts of meat such as the Leg or Shoulder.
Ingredients required:
Five Large Potatoes
½ a Swede
Five Carrots
500g Horner Farm Lamb Mince
50g Tomato Puree
½ Broccoli
Butter 50g
Lamb Stock Cube
Grated or Sliced Mature Cheddar Cheese 50g
Black Pepper
A Pinch of Oregano
How to prepare the lamb shepherd's pie.
Step One
Boil the potatoes and swede. When soft, but not falling apart, drain and mash into the butter and black pepper. At this point add some grated cheese into the mash mixture.
Step Two
Add a small slice of butter to a frying pan and on a low light add the lamb mince and the dissolved this is lamb stock cube. As Horner Farm lamb mince will be slightly fattier than supermarket lamb mince you may find you need less stock than usual as the fat will dissolve and aid the cooking process.
As this is a minced product it is crucial to cook until there are no pink, or rare, sections on the lamb remaining. A personal preference is to add oregano but there are plenty of different herbs and spices you can add for a twist here.
Step Three
Finely slice some broccoli and carrots and add them to the lamb being cooked in the frying pan.
Step Four
when Lamb has no pink parts remaining remove it from the heat. Put the contents into a dish and then spread the mashed potato, swede, and cheese onto the top. At this stage, more cheese can be added on top of the shepherd’s pie however I prefer to simply keep the cheese mixed into the mashed potato.
Step Five
Cook at 180 degrees for 20 minutes. This can vary slightly based on the dimensions of the dish but as the dish contents are all fully cooked before they go into the oven you can really cook for as long or as little as you like. I have found 20 minutes gives me the beautiful brown crispy top that so many associate with a shepherd’s pie whether it is cooked with lamb or beef.
Where to buy?
Ruxstons offer Horner Farms 100% Grass Fed Lamb Mince available to buy online along with Beef and Pork options if this is your preferred taste.