Shepherd's pie

Shepherd's pie on one of the hottest days we've experienced so far this year! And… very welcome it was too after a long, long day. This is a great budget recipe.

For a 'shepherd's pie' you will need lamb mince (look for lean mince). Swap to beef if you prefer, and you'll be making a 'cottage pie'.

After an extremely busy day, we arrived home to reheat this gorgeous, satisfying shepherd's pie within half an hour. 

It certainly made a nice change from a cold salad. With approximately 600 calories per large portion, this was extremely filling and well within our calorie allowance. As we have always said, if you eat something that really hits the spot and fills you up, you'll be less inclined to pick on something later as it will take a while to digest. Here's our recipe:

SHEPHERD'S PIE
INGREDIENTS 
Serves 4 large portions or 6 small

600g minced lamb

2 onions - finely chopped

couple of carrots - finely diced

2 cloves of garlic - crushed

salt and pepper

thyme/rosemary

2 tablespoons of tomato puree
large tin of chopped tomatoes

dash Worcestershire sauce

300ml stock (chicken or vegetable)

1.5 kg cooked mashed potatoes
vegetable oil for frying

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Fry the minced lamb for 5 minutes.

Set the lamb mince aside on some kitchen paper, tip the juices into a small dish and place in the refrigerator. As it cools the fat will form and can be removed and the juices returned to the frying pan. This shouldn't take long.

Meanwhile, gently fry the onions and carrots for five minutes, add the garlic, herbs, tomatoes, tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a large saucepan.

Pour the stock over the mixture - you will need enough to cover the ingredients. 

Cook the mince mixture on a low heat, lid on, for 30 minutes. 

Cook the potatoes and mash them. Keep the mixture fairly stiff - as they will soak up some of the lovely lamb juices while cooking.

Pour the lamb mince into a large oven dish. Allow to cool slightly before topping with the mashed potatoes. Dot the top of the potatoes with very small amounts of butter (or oil if you prefer).

                                                                                                    

Cook in a hot oven - 180ºC - for around 30 minutes while covered with tin foil (or a lid). Remove the foil/lid and continue cooking for another 30 minutes or so until the pie is slightly brown and crispy.

   

I would estimate a large portion of this to be around 600 calories. (An average man can consume around 2500 calories each day). 

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REMEMBER: We all have a calorie allowance - do you know yours?

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