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.
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.
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.
The terms shepherd's pie and cottage pie have been used interchangeably since they came into use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, although some writers insist that a shepherd's pie should contain lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie, beef.
Why is my Shepherd's Pie soupy? If your casserole is too runny, chances are you either didn't add enough flour to thicken the gravy or you didn't simmer it long enough to reduce the liquid. Also, make sure your potatoes are thoroughly drained before making the mashed potatoes, so the topping is not too sloppy.
How do you keep shepherds pie from falling apart? The eggs in the mashed potatoes help keep the pie together. You should also make sure to spread the potatoes and press down a bit.
“Try a combination of 1 part ketchup to ½ part soy sauce and ½ part malt vinegar to start," Malivert says, "and play with the proportions to balance the flavor.” Use this as a 1-to-1 substitute for Worcestershire sauce.
Vegetables: This shepherd's pie includes carrots and onions. Flour: All-purpose flour will thicken the beef gravy. Ketchup: Ketchup will add a little tang to the ground beef mixture. Beef Broth: Beef broth creates a gravy-like consistency in the middle.
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.
This traditional shepherd's pie recipe is made with a mixture of lamb and sirloin, lots of veggies, and a creamy, cheesy mashed potato topping — sure to delight everyone at the table!
Now, before I proceed, I want to make sure we're clear on what precisely shepherd's pie is. Here goes. It's a hearty dish with origins in the United Kingdom and Ireland composed of a ground meat cooked in gravy, onions, carrots, celery, and a mashed potato crust (can be top and bottom, or just top).
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.
Talk about satisfying. Ground beef, vegetables, and gravy are baked under pillowy mashed potatoes. If it's not yet already, this will soon be a family favorite recipe.
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.
You can swap the beef broth for chicken broth if you prefer. For an Irish shepherd's pie, swap the beef broth for Guinness. Worcestershire Sauce. Adds wonderful umami flavor.
Sprinkle dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, or other types of cereal, on the bottom crust before filling and baking in the oven. The layer will absorb moisture and prevent the filling from turning the crust soggy.
Cornstarch has thickening power similar to Instant ClearJel. Like flour, it lends a cloudy, semi-transparent look to filling. It can also give filling a starchy taste. For full effectiveness, make sure the pie filling is bubbling up through the crust before removing your pie from the oven.
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Introduction: My name is Maia Crooks Jr, I am a homely, joyous, shiny, successful, hilarious, thoughtful, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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Prep time: 1 hr
