The Shepherds Pie or Cottage Pie is basically a pie made with leftover meat covered with mash potatoes. Historically it was made with mash potato as the shell, leftover roasted meat and the top covered with mash again. Where’s the fun in that? This recipe is a typical English version of its Irish counterpart, I make it regularly at home, my wife loves it to bits. Its a great family meal served with country bread and green salad, you can make these in ramekins too for individual portions for a small dinner party. Hope you like this recipe, enjoy!

  45-mins  /    Easy  /    Serves 4

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INGREDIENTS
Meat:
500-g Veal, Beef or Lamb, mince
1 Large onion, chopped fine
2 Carrots, medium, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, minced
100-g Mushrooms, sliced thin
2-tbsp. Tomato puree
200-ml Chicken stock
60-ml Red wine
1-tsp. Thyme, fresh, chopped
1 Sprig Rosemary, small
1 Dried red chilli
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
60-ml Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Mash:
500-g Potatoes
60-g Butter
2-tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
2-tbsp. Whole cream
Salt and white pepper to taste

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PROCEDURE

1. Add Olive oil in a saucepan, heat, add garlic and red chili, fry on medium heat for a minute then add the onions and carrots, sweat for a few minutes, strip the leaves off the sprig of Rosemary chop fine and add to the veggies, cook until veggies are tender. Turn off the heat and keep aside, discard the chilli. 
2. In a sauté pan add oil, heat to a smoke, add the meat and brown well, do not reduce the heat it should look like you’re burning it, but don’t burn it, constantly stir and fold the meat breaking up the large chunks and ensuring it cooks evenly. Add the chopped Thyme leaves and continue stirring for a few minutes. Never reduce the heat or the meat will boil in its own juices, you want it to caramelize well. Remove the meat and add it to the sauce pan with the veggies, retain the oil in the sauté pan, bring back to heat and stir fry the mushrooms for a few minutes until well browned.
3. Once the mushrooms are done, add it to the sauce pan with the meat and veggies, add red wine and tomato puree, cook to reduce by half, now add the stock, a large dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to season, cook for about 20 minutes until the mixture has thickened.
4. While the meat is cooking boil the potatoes with the skins on, remove once they’re cooked through strain in a colander and cover with a lid to ‘steam dry’ for a few minutes. Once cool enough to handle, not too cool, peel, place in a large bowl and mash with a masher. Add the butter while mashing, the heat will melt the butter easily, add the whole cream season with salt and white pepper, keep mashing until you get a smooth mixture, remove all lumps finish with half the Parmesan cheese and mix well.
5. Pour the meat mix into a oven proof bowl, spread evenly with a spoon, top it with the mash and spread to cover all the meat, drizzle a little olive oil over the top and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake in a preheated oven 350F until the top is golden brown.