This shepherd's pie is the ultimate winter comfort food

Today I’m sharing a recipe for a deluxe Shepherd’s Pie which I made in the 28cm Falcon Enamelware pie dish. Falcon Enamelware has long established itself as a British icon in cookware and bakeware. It’s made from porcelain fused onto heavy-gauge steel so each piece is durable, smooth and chemical resistant.  Chips may occur over time but it just adds to the charm of these pieces.

The dishes are dishwasher and oven safe and stovetop compatible, just not suitable for use in the microwave. Because the dishes are light-weight Falcon Enamelware is perfect to use outdoors, and as they will not shatter when dropped they’re ideal to use when camping or for outdoor entertaining. As a testament to its durability, I have some old Falcon enamelware mugs that my Dad used when camping that must be more than 20 years old.

Here’s the recipe for this luxurious Shepherd’s Pie which was adapted from an even more luxurious Neil Perry recipe. For all my recipes I use a 250ml cup and a 20ml tablespoon, unsalted butter and 60g eggs. My oven is a conventional gas oven so if your oven is fan forced you may need to reduce the oven temperature by 20°C.

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients

• 1 kg lamb shoulder trimmed and cut into 4cm dice
• 4 ½ tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp of plain flour
• 2 brown onions, peeled, cut into 1cm dice
• 2 carrots, peeled, quartered lengthways, cut into 1cm pieces
• 2 celery stalks, cut into 1cm pieces
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp of picked fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp  of tomato paste
• 250ml red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• 375 ml chicken stock
• 800g Desiree potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 55g butter
• 125ml full cream milk
• Parmesan cheese, to grate over mash
• Olive oil spray

Method

1. Season the lamb well with sea salt and dust lightly in flour. In a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp oil over high heat. Add the lamb to the hot oil in batches and brown all over for about 1 minute. Remove the lamb with a slotted spoon and reserve, discarding any excess fat.

2. Pre-heat oven to 160°C, conventional. In a deep ovenproof casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid, heat the remaining 2 ½ tbsp oil over medium heat and add onions, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes over low heat until softened. Add the tomato paste, cook for 2 minutes on medium-high heat. Then, add the red wine and simmer until the wine reduces to about 125ml (about 5-10 minutes). Lastly, add the bay leaves and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and then add the lamb and bring to a simmer.

3. Cover and place in the oven for about 2 ½ hours until the lamb is tender. Remove from oven and strain the liquid into a pan, reserving the lamb and the vegetables. In a pan, slowly reduce the liquid for 10 minutes, skimming off any impurities. Fold vegetables and lamb through the reduced sauce then season to taste with salt and black pepper.

4. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes or until tender.  Mash potatoes with a potato masher until smooth or put through a potato ricer. Combine butter and milk in a saucepan, season to taste with salt and white pepper and bring almost to the boil. Slowly add the hot milk mixture to the hot mashed potatoes and mix until well combined and almost smooth.

5. Place lamb mixture in a 28-30 cm baking dish, and top with potato mash. Sprinkle with grated parmesan and lightly spray with olive oil spray to moisten cheese.

6. Place in oven at 160°C for 20 minutes to heat evenly. Then, place under grill at medium heat to brown the cheese. Remove and serve immediately.

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