Hearty shepherd's pie
Summer is becoming a distant memory, but if you're not quite ready for full-on winter warmers, Sally's here to embrace autumn with her healthy take on a classic shepherd's pie.
Sally says: "Shepherd's pie is an old tradition in many households and this is a version of my mother's recipe. As always, ensure you use great quality, very lean minced beef. Red meat contains iron and zinc and this is complemented by the vitamin C and fibre content of the potato and sweet potato topping. The onions, garlic and tomatoes will help lower blood cholesterol making this dish a lovely, filling, nutritious meal."
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
600g/1lb 5oz white, floury potatoes, peeled and diced600g/1lb 5oz sweet potatoes, peeled and dicedfreshly ground black pepper, to taste3 tbsp semi-milk400g/14oz extra-lean minced lamb or beef or turkey.1 medium onion, peeled and chopped1 celery stick, chopped2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed or chopped2 tsp plain flour450g/1lb canned chopped tomatoes300ml/10fl oz/1 cups vegetable stock1 slug of Worcestershire sauce2 bay leaveshandful of fresh rosemary, leaves picked and choppedhandful of fresh oregano, chopped, or a good sprinkling of dried herbs if fresh not available
Method
Boil the potatoes and sweet potatoes for 15-20 minutes, or until tender
Drain the potatoes, then mash with the milk using an electric whisk until smooth. Season with pepper.
In a large pan on a medium heat, dry-fry the minced lamb, beef or turkey until browned. Drain off any excess fat, then add the onion, celery and garlic and fry for a further 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle over the flour and stir until the meat and onion mixture is evenly coated
Add the canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Bring to the boil, stirring until thickened. Reduce the heat, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place the meat in an ovenproof dish. Spoon the mashed potato mixture over the top and texture the topping with a fork.
Either grill until lightly browned, or pop into a preheated oven (200 ̊C/400 ̊F/Gas mark 6) for 20 minutes.