Country Captain Shepherd's Pie
This hearty shepherd's pie recipe is bursting with flavorful spices and tender lamb, creating a comforting and satisfying dish that is perfect for a cozy family dinner or a gathering with friends. The aromatic blend of cumin, coriander, and other spices infuse the lamb with rich, savory notes, while the creamy potato topping adds a luxurious finish. With each spoonful, you'll savor the layers of tender meat, fragrant spices, and creamy potatoes that come together in a delightful harmony of flavors and textures. Serve this delicious shepherd's pie with a side of crusty bread or steamed rice to complete the meal.
— Constant Cookbook
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- 50g/2oz fresh root ginger
- 50g/2oz garlic
- 2-3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1.25kg/2lb 12oz cleaned lamb shoulder
- 2 x 2.5cm/1in pieces cinnamon
- 3-4 green cardamom
- 2-3 cloves
- 3-4 black pepper
- 2-3 large dried red chilli
- 3 medium onions
- 250g/9oz chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt, plus extra for seasoning
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 heaped tbsp fresh coriander
- 3-4 large baking
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ tsp cumin
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 dried red chilli
- 250g/9oz fresh spinach
- 2 medium eggs
- 75ml/3floz double cream
Instructions
- For the shepherd's pie filling, preheat the oven to 140C/275F/Gas 1.
- Place the cumin and coriander seeds into a dry frying pan on a low heat and toast them until they change colour slightly, then remove from the pan.
- Grind the spices, ginger and garlic together in a spice grinder to a fine paste, adding only as much water as is necessary to make it into a paste.
- Heat a large oven-proof casserole dish until medium hot, add the oil and continue to heat until a haze forms.
- Add the lamb and brown well on all sides until the meat is well sealed.
- Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside, then add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, peppercorns and the red chillies broken into pieces, to the pan.Â
- Fry the spices for 1-2 minutes until the cloves swell a little. Add a little water to the pan to deglaze it, scraping up any meat residue and dissolving it in the water.
- Add the chopped onions and cook until the liquid evaporates, then gently fry the onions until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the spice paste and cook for 5-6 minutes mixing well then return the lamb to the pan.
- Coat the lamb with the mixture then season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cover the pan.
- Place the pan into the oven and cook for 2- 2 ½ hours, stirring the casserole occasionally and making sure the onions do not catch on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and mix well (add a little more water if it looks dry) then cover and return to the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Check that the lamb is cooked - the meat will have retracted from the bone and the meat will feel soft to the touch.
- Lift the lamb out of the casserole and place onto a tray to cool slightly.
- Carefully remove all the whole spices from the gravy in the casserole and discard.
- When the lamb is cool enough to handle, shred the meat off of the bone and place back into the casserole with the gravy.
- Place back onto a medium low heat and cook until the gravy has thickened nicely.
- Add the freshly chopped coriander, check the seasoning, and spoon into an oven-proof dish, big enough that the filling reaches 2cm/1in from the top of the dish.
- For the topping, place the potatoes into a saucepan and cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender.
- Drain, return the potatoes to the pan and back on the heat to drive off any extra moisture.
- Pass the cooked potatoes through a ricer (or mash them to a smooth puree) and set aside.
- Place the butter onto the board with the cumin seeds, then finely chop the two together.
- Heat a frying pan and add the cumin butter and gently fry until the cumin colours gently, but donât heat it too much or the butter will burn.
- As soon as the cumin changes colour, lift out the seeds and add to the potatoes, transferring as little butter as is possible.
- Add the chopped garlic and chilli to the butter in the frying pan and gently fry for one minute.
- When the garlic is light golden-brown, add the spinach leaves, toss for a minute or so until soft, season lightly then remove from pan and place straight onto the dish of shredded lamb, spreading evenly over the top.
- Mix the cumin seeds into the potato with the eggs and cream and mix well until smooth then check the seasoning.
- Spread the potato over the spinach evenly, ruffle the surface a little, it doesnât have to be smooth, just evenly spread.
- Place back in the oven for 10 minutes then increase the oven temperature to 180C/350F/Gas 4 and cook for another 15 minutes until golden brown.
- To serve, spoon a dollop of pie onto a serving plates, and serve with some crusty bread or steamed rice.
Prep Time
PT30M
Yield
Serves 4
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