Jamie Oliver Shepherds Pie Food

SPICED SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Peel and finely chop the onions, ginger and garlic, then deseed and finely slice the capsicum. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the mince, garam masala, cinnamon stick and cardamon pods and fry for around 5 minutes, or until cooked through and lightly browned, stirring regularly.
• 2. Remove to a bowl and set aside, then place the pan back on the heat. Turn the heat down to medium and cook the onion, ginger and garlic for around 5 minutes, or until softened, then add the capsicum for a further 5 minutes. Tip in the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon as you go, then pour in half a tin's worth of water and stir well. Turn the heat up to high and bring to the boil, then reduce to a low heat, stir the mince back into the pan and simmer for 25 minutes, or until thickened, stirring occasionally. 3. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cutting any larger ones into quarters and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water, add a good pinch of salt and cook for 20 minutes, or until tender. 4. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry, then return the potatoes to the empty pan. Add a knob of butter, a splash of milk, a good pinch of salt and pepper, then mash well. Stir the peas through the mince, season with salt and pepper, then remove the cinnamon stick and transfer to an ovenproof baking dish (roughly 20 x 25cm). 5. Evenly spoon the mash over the top, smooth the surface slightly, then use a fork to fluff it up - this will give you great texture once it's cooked. Drizzle the pie with a little olive oil and season lightly. Cook in the oven for around 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

SUPER SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Put the mince into a cold casserole pan. Place on a high heat, add a really good pinch of black pepper and cook for 15 minutes, or until dark golden, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
• Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves, drain the beans, then stir both into the pan. Cook and stir for 8 minutes, or until the beans start to pop and it's all getting dark and gnarly.
• Peel the onions and carrots, trim the celery, wipe the mushrooms clean, then finely chop it all (or blitz in a food processor). Stir into the pan and sweat for 10 minutes on medium-high, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in the flour, followed by the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat with the lid on for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
• Wash the swede and potatoes (leaving the skins on for extra nutritional benefit) and cut into 3cm chunks.
• Cook just the swede in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes, add the potatoes for 10 more minutes, or until cooked through, drain well, mash with the milk and grated cheese, and season to perfection.
• Check the consistency of the mince - you want it slightly wetter than you think, as it will thicken further in the oven. Add the Worcestershire and mint sauces, taste, and season to perfection.
• Sprinkle the peas over the mince, letting them sit on the surface to help prevent the mash from sinking in too much. Put spoons of mash randomly on top, using a fork to scuff it up and make valleys and mountains, increasing the surface area, and the crispy bits.
• Bake for 50 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. Nice with seasonal greens.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas 3.
• In a snug-fitting high-sided roasting tray, rub the lamb all over with a little oil and a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Add a splash of water to the tray, then roast for 4 hours, or until the meat is tender and will fall away from the bone.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tray, then lift the lamb out onto a board, take all the meat and crispy skin off the bone and roughly chop it, reserving the bones.
• Skim away any fat from the tray and pop it into a clean jam jar. Add a splash of boiling water to the tray and stir around to pick up all the lovely sticky bits from the bottom. Keep it all to one side.
• For the filling, peel and roughly dice the onions, carrots, celery and swede, then put them into your biggest pan on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of reserved lamb fat. Strip in the rosemary leaves, then fry the veg for 20 minutes, or until lightly caramelised, stirring regularly.
• Stir in the flour, lamb, bones and tray juices, then pour in 1.5 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then put the lid on and reduce to a gentle simmer for 40 minutes, or until you've got a loose, stew-like consistency, stirring occasionally.
• To guarantee intense gravy and a tender but dense filling, remove and discard the bones, then place a large coarse sieve over a pan and, in batches, spoon the lamb stew into the sieve. Let the gravy drip through, and after a couple of minutes, when you get a dense pile of meat and veg in the sieve, transfer that to a bowl, leaving the gravy in the pan.
• Separately freeze half the cool meat and gravy for another day.
• For the topping, sides and bottom, peel and roughly chop the potatoes and cook in boiling salted water for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and leave to steam dry, then add the butter, grate in half the cheese, season to perfection with salt and pepper, mash well and cool completely.
• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
• Use a little reserved lamb fat to grease the inside of a large pie dish (25cm x 30cm), then pick and tear over the rosemary leaves and sprinkle with half the breadcrumbs - they'll stick to the fat and add an incredible crunch.
• A handful at a time, press the cooled mash into the dish, covering the bottom and sides with a 1cm-thick layer. Spoon in the filling and a couple of spoonfuls of gravy, smooth out, then top with the remaining mash, pat it flat, scuff it up with a fork and pinch it at the edges.
• Grate over the rest of the cheese, scatter with the remaining breadcrumbs and drizzle lightly with oil. Importantly, bake on the bottom of the oven for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until crisp and golden.
• Warm your gravy through (reducing if desired), then serve the pie with loads of seasonal greens or peas and lots of condiments.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and fry over a medium/low heat for 10 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.
• Add the beef mince and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until brown.
• Add the tomato purée, worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, then stir and cook for 2 minutes.
• Turn the heat up to high and add the red wine. Let it bubble away and reduce for 5 minutes then add the stock and reduce to a medium heat. Simmer for a further 20 minutes, stirring often.
• Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into halves and quarters so they're all a fairly even size. Cook in a pan of boiling, salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
• Taste the mince and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Transfer it to an ovenproof dish (approximately 20cm by 30cm).
• Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper then spread over the top of the mince.
• Finely grate over a little parmesan cheese then cook for 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
• Serve with buttered peas or a simple side salad.