Phil's shepherd's pie with a twist!
This has to be in the top ten list of comfort foods- the Shepherd's Pie! Phil's here with a clever twist on this classic, his slow cooked lamb shoulder falls off the bone to make a rich and delicious filling for this much loved meal.
Braised lamb shank shepherd's pie
Serves: 4
Ingredients
2-3 tbsp oil
4 lamb shanks
4 small onions, finely chopped
2 large carrots, chopped into 1cm pieces
2 tbsp tomato puree
500mls boiling water
2 x 10g lamb stock cubes
4 tbsp plain flour
3 tbsp cold water
750g potatoes
150mls milk approx
75g salted butter
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C gas 4. Heat the oil and add the seasoned lamb shanks and brown really well.
2. Add the onions and carrots and brown again. Add the tomato puree, water and stock cubes and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Cook slowly in the oven for 2 hours, turning the meat over every 30 minutes. You may need to cook for a little longer or shorter, keep an eye on it, until the meat falls off the bone when gently pressed.
4. Once cooked carefully spoon all the contents into a colander over a bowl.
5. Place the stock back into the pan simmer until you have a nice flavoured stock. Mix the cold water and flour together to form a runny paste then whisk into the simmering stock to thicken nicely.Remove from the heat.
6. Pull all the meat from the bones and break into small pieces and pop into a separate bowl along with the carrots and onions.
7. Add enough thickened stock to coat the meat and vegetables well, then re-season. Pour into a deep dish and chill well.
8. Preheat the oven to 200C, gas 6. Cook the potatoes into plenty of salted water then drain and mash well. Add enough milk to form a soft consistency, then add the butter, mix and season well.
9. Top the lamb mixture with the mash then cook in the oven for 25 minutes, or until piping hot in the centre and nicely browned.