Shepherd's Pie

I'm no cook but I really wanted to use this baking pot Peter bought for when we made cottage pie and since pie's seem to be a winter recipe, I thought I'd try a shepherds pie which turned out to be quite delicious by the end. I've never thought of doing a food post before besides posting drool-worthy recipes I've wanted to try but never ended up doing and so this time it went pretty well. I have no idea about how lighting goes but thankfully, I did more than okay this time round but wishing that I had taken a few more shots.

Easy

4 servings

Ingredients:

- 1 large carrot

- 1 large celery stick

- 1 onion

- 700g lamb or beef mince

- 2 tablespoons tomato paste

- 2 cups beef stock

- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

- 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters or smaller

- 40g unsalted butter

- 1/2 cup milk

- 2 teaspoons cornflower

- 2 tablespoons water

- 1/4 cup chopped parsley leaves 

- Salt and pepper

OKAY, let's go! 

1. Finely chop the carrot, celery and onion. Since I'm not a Masterchef myself, I tend to use any cheats as possible so I used a food processor for this step. It's useful for skipping an onion-crying step when cooking anything.

2. Heat oil in a deep non-stick frying pan on a low/medium heat and then add the carrots, celery and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add mince and stir for 5 minutes or until cooked and brown.

3. Add tomato paste, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and then bring to the boil or until the sauce has evaporated. Turn the heat down and let simmer for 15 minutes.

4. Whilst the mince mixture is simmering, you can then boil your potatoes until tender and then drain them (tip: drip the potatoes into the water first before dropping them in to avoid splashes of hot water). Leave them in the same pot so you can mash them and then add the milk, butter and a bit of salt and pepper. Leave to the side, covered to keep warm.

5. Mix the cornflour into the water until it becomes a watery paste and then add it into the mixture. Keep it simmering until the sauce has thickened a little. Stir in the parsley then add the salt and pepper to taste.

6. Heat your oven grill on high. Transfer mixture into a baking bowl or dish and then spread the mash over the top of it. Place under the grill for 5 minutes or until golden. Then let it cool down a few minutes before serving.

If you want, you can seam some beans and carrots to serve on the side. And here is the original recipe.

*All pictures taken by me