A classic, hearty family meal that everyone will love. Instead of topping with mashed potatoes I like to do a root vegetable mash that consists of turnips, potatoes, and rutabagas. Tons of flavor and extra nutrition, my children never noticed the difference.
What you need:
Pie filling: 1 small chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground lamb
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup frozen peas
Mashers:
1 large rutabaga
2 small turnips
2 medium sized Yukon gold potatoes
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt/pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fill a small pot with cold water and peel your root vegetables and cut them into 1 inch squares. Add your potatoes, rutabaga, and turnips to the pot and bring to a boil then simmer for about 15-18 minutes or until they are soft. Meanwhile, add a drizzle of olive oil to a pan and set over medium heat to cook your onions and carrots. Stir them around until they have softened then add your garlic, herbs, salt and pepper. Add your ground lamb and brown. When the lamb is mostly cooked, drain off the fat. Now add your ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Most shepherd’s pie recipes call for tomato paste but I never bother with the stuff. You never need much and then you are left with a 3/4 full can of tomato paste that will inevitably go to waste. Food waste is bad, ketchup is good : ) Stir in your peas (its ok if they are still frozen, they will cook quickly). Transfer to a baking dish.
Now its time to finish off your mashers, drain the water from the pot. Add 4 tablespoons butter, salt and pepper, and cream to the pot and mash vegetables until desired consistency. I like them to be mostly smooth but a couple of lumps show they are homemade. With a rubber spatula spread your mashers on top of the ground lamb mixture. Place baking dish in preheated oven and cook for about 15 minutes or until mashers start to lightly brown. Remove from the oven, add a couple more pats of butter and serve.
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