Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie came about in the late 1700s and early 1800s in Ireland. It was created in households as a simple yet nutritious meal that was meant to incorporate the leftovers in the house. It has since then been cooked using different kinds of mince meat and leftover vegetables in the fridge. This combination of meat and vegetables is sealed with mashed potato on top. Once in the oven a golden crispy potato covering forms and it blends in beautifully with the meat and veggies inside. I make different combinations but the two I like the most are, chicken mince with spinach and the lamb mince with carrots and celery.
You begin by cooking the meat, which is cooked on low fire in a rich bed of sliced onions, garlic, ginger and herbs. It’s cooked in olive oil which is high in omega 3 fatty acids and is therefore a heart healthy oil to cook in. The vegetables are sautéed separately and then added to the minced meat. The mashed potato contains extra virgin olive oil instead of butter! It is spooned on top of the cooked meat and vegetables which have been infused with herbs and spices and then placed in the oven. The result is a truly comforting and delicious meal. The crispy yet soft texture of the potato with the succulent minced meat and vegetables makes this dish most satisfying! In this recipe I have used free range chicken mince, frozen organic spinach leaves and sautéed Shiitake mushrooms, just because I had some in the fridge.
Serves 6 – 8
Ingredients:
Chicken – 900 gm
Potatoes – 5 large
Frozen Spinach – 450 gm
Onion – 1 large chopped
Garlic – 6 pods
Ginger – 2 tbsp
Mushrooms – 3/4 cup
Rosemary – 1 tsp
Coarse Black Pepper – 2 tsp
Himalayan Salt – 2 tsp
Fresh red chilli – 1 chopped
Dried red chilli flakes – 1 tsp
Cayenne pepper – 1 tsp
Olive oil – 3 tbsp
Virgin olive oil – 1 tbsp
Free range chicken stock – 1 cup
Worcester sauce – 4 tsp
Rice flour – 1 tsp
Pre-heat oven to 180 C with the grill on
Ingredients: Onion, garlic, ginger, himalayan salt, black pepper, dried rosemary, red chilli
Method:
Mash the potato :
Boil the potatoes
Mash with a stainless steel masher
Add 1 tsp himalayan salt
Add 1 tsp black pepper
Add 1 tsp cayenne pepper
Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Mix it all thoroughly into the mashed potato
Cook chicken and spinach :
Put 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the onion, 4 garlic pods, ginger
Onion, garlic, ginger, red chilli pepper, rosemary, salt and pepper cooked in olive oil
Cook on low fire until soft
Add rosemary, salt, black pepper, fresh red chilli and cook for 1 minute
Add the chicken mince
Add the stock with the rice flour dissolved in it
Sauté the spinach separately in another pan with 1 garlic pod, 1 tbsp of chopped onion and 1 tbsp olive oil
Sautéed Spinach
Add the cooked spinach to the chicken mince and cook on low fire for 10 mins
Chicken mince and spinach cooked
Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil separately
Add them to the chicken and spinach
Layer the Shepherd’s pie
Then spoon the mixture into a pyrex or any baking dish and cover with the mashed potato
Smooth and flatten the mashed potato and then with a fork make grooves
Place the dish in the oven under the grill
As the potato turns golden in colour you can take it out
Let it stand for 2 minutes and then serve!
