Shepherd's Pie for supper... can't get more traditional than that.
Here's the recipe I'm using (posted on Cooks.com by a Brit) if anyone cares to give it a go...
1 lb lean lamb, minced
1 large onion, sliced
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
enough beef stock to cover
(I used 4 cups in mine)
salt
pepper
3 to 4 tsp corn starch or 2 Bisto (if you know what it is) and 1 corn starch
2 lbs good mashing potatoes
4 oz butter
salt
pepper
Let's get this right and the best way: Add minced lamb into a casserole dish, add onion, carrot, celery, beef stock, corn starch and/Bisto/corn starch, salt and pepper, to taste, and stir.
Cook in a slow oven, say 275°F for 2 hours. You can do all this on stove top for about 20 minutes BUT the flavor is never the same.
When complete, drain off gravy and reserve.
Boil and mash potatoes with milk, butter, salt and pepper, however DO NOT make it into a wet paste. It should be firm and almost chunky.
Add back enough gravy to the meat to make it moist. Gently add the potato to the top and build up. Spread with a fork, finally making fork marks both up and down and across to form a basket like pattern.
Put oven temperature at 400°F, then bake until potato is crispy and golden on the peaks (about) 30 minutes.
Serve with remaining gravy and steamed cabbage (preferably Savoy, if you can get it). NO CHEESE, PLEASE.
I've only ever had MIL's version... which is beef (that'd be cottage pie but she calls it shepherd's, even though she knows perfectly well that shepherds don't raise cows) with mushrooms and green beans and cheese and cream of mushroom soup and I donno what else in it... but it always, like clockwork, messes up the works so I did NOT want to use that recipe... plus I kinda have this THING about traditions sometimes... get all stickler about it? Anywho, I'll let y'all know how it goes once it's done...
