Shepherd's Pie... with a twist
I love shepherd's pie! well.. the way i make it lol. dont really care for the original recipe. the one thing that i always stick to though, is the lamb mince. its not a shepherd's pie without the lamb in it. Lamb... hence the name SHEPHERD. if u put beef in it, its cottage pie! i hate it when i hear people saying they made shepherd's pie and then say they made it with beef mince. its a cottage pie!!!! also, a lot of people say its origin is english... its not. they dont know for sure but the best bet is scotland or wales, since they are the ones that produce most of the sheep. OK, im being over-dramatic! i think any meat in the pie is fine, in fact u can leave out the meat all together and make it vegetarian!
Anyways, ground my little axe there. I make mine slightly.... ok Very differently lol. 1stly, i marinate the lamb mince in garlic and ginger paste, salt, pepper and chili powder. more chili powder for more spice.
For the Mince:
1 large onion, diced
1-2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 tin chopped tomatoes
1 large carrot, diced
300g lamb mince
salt and pepper to taste
*you can add diced celery and change the mince to watever you want. turkey/chicken/pork/beef mince all taste really nice and if you are vegetarian, u can add a mixture of black-eyed peas, kidney,cannellini,adzuki and pink beans.*
Saute the onion in some oil for a few mins, then add the mince and cook for 5 mins. add the pepper and carrots and cook for a further 3 mins after which you can add the tomatoes. turn the heat up a bit and let it bubble away for at least 10 mins or until the oil and chili separate (the chili powder you used in the marinade).
For the Mash:
4 large potatoes or its equivalent in sweet potatoes; peeled, chopped roughly and boiled till soft.
15g knob of butter, salt and pepper.
Mash everything to a smooth paste.
Fill the bottom of a casserole dish with the meat mixture and carefully lay the mash on top. you can even pipe the mash mixture on top of the meat mixture if you want to (it will look pretty nice!). grate some cheese over the top and put it in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 20 mins.
And that's it done! i use sweet potatoes becoz my meat mixture is always Very spicy lol. i like it all hot and spicy, so the sweet potato goes really well with the spicy-ness of the meat. its the great spruce-up to the shepherd's pie!
Anyways, ground my little axe there. I make mine slightly.... ok Very differently lol. 1stly, i marinate the lamb mince in garlic and ginger paste, salt, pepper and chili powder. more chili powder for more spice.
For the Mince:
1 large onion, diced
1-2 green peppers, chopped
1-2 tin chopped tomatoes
1 large carrot, diced
300g lamb mince
salt and pepper to taste
*you can add diced celery and change the mince to watever you want. turkey/chicken/pork/beef mince all taste really nice and if you are vegetarian, u can add a mixture of black-eyed peas, kidney,cannellini,adzuki and pink beans.*
Saute the onion in some oil for a few mins, then add the mince and cook for 5 mins. add the pepper and carrots and cook for a further 3 mins after which you can add the tomatoes. turn the heat up a bit and let it bubble away for at least 10 mins or until the oil and chili separate (the chili powder you used in the marinade).
For the Mash:
4 large potatoes or its equivalent in sweet potatoes; peeled, chopped roughly and boiled till soft.
15g knob of butter, salt and pepper.
Mash everything to a smooth paste.
Fill the bottom of a casserole dish with the meat mixture and carefully lay the mash on top. you can even pipe the mash mixture on top of the meat mixture if you want to (it will look pretty nice!). grate some cheese over the top and put it in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for 20 mins.
And that's it done! i use sweet potatoes becoz my meat mixture is always Very spicy lol. i like it all hot and spicy, so the sweet potato goes really well with the spicy-ness of the meat. its the great spruce-up to the shepherd's pie!