April Jackson’s Caribbean-style shepherd’s pie
April Jackson’s back in the kitchen to give the Shepherd’s pie a mouth-watering makeover! Putting a Caribbean twist on a classic comforting dish, her jerk-seasoned lamb and sweet potato topped pie is a cosy dinner, with a kick!
Caribbean-style shepherd’s pie
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Lamb filling:1 tbsp butter1/2 onion3 cloves garlic1 tbsp all purpose seasoning1/2 tsp white pepper1 ½ tbsp curry powder1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon turmeric1 baby handful fresh thyme, leaves picked2 bay leaves1/4 tsp ground allspice2 medium carrots, chopped1 scotch bonnet, pricked500g lamb mince250ml beef stock1 tbsp cornflour 80g frozen peasOil, for frying
For the Sweet Potato Purée:900g sweet potatoes, cut into chunks30g butter, room temperature30ml double cream1/2 tsp cinnamonSalt, to taste
Method
1. Chop the onions and garlic, add into a pan and sweat over a medium heat in a little oil. Then add in all of the other ingredients except the lamb mince, beef stock, cornflour and peas.
2. Once the onions are soft and spices are fragrant, add the lamb mince and brown for a few minutes.
3. Turn the heat down to low, add the stock, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, followed by another 10 minutes uncovered.
4. Preheat the oven to 180℃, and place a pan of salted water on to boil. Add in the sweet potato chunks and boil until tender (approximately 15 minutes), then strain.
5. Mash the potatoes (push through a sieve if you're feeling fancy) and then whisk in butter, heavy cream, cinnamon and salt to taste.
6. Once the lamb is cooked, remove bay leaves and scotch bonnet, whisk a little sauce with cornflour and add back to the pan and stir gently.
7. Place the lamb mince in an ovenproof dish, scatter the peas on top and then pipe or spread across the sweet potato mash. Then use a fork to create texture.
8. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.