We all have family favorites and
comfort foods; one of my all-time favorites is Sheppard's/ Cottage pie. This takes
me back to my childhood; it is easily digestible and warming from the inside out.
Actually traditionally Sheppard's
pie is made using minced lamb, and cottage pie typically was made with a crust
of mashed potato at the bottom, the layer of minced beef in between and a layer
of mashed potato on top. It was the dish of rural farmers in Britain first
recorded in 1791 when potatoes were considered edible crop.
In my childhood there were many different
varieties of this quintessentially British nursery food; my paternal
grandmother made it the traditional way with lamb, in thick onion gravy, my
maternal grandmother used minced beef, topped with a thick layer of ultra-creamy
mashed potatoes. My mother added carrots, and one aunt baked beans to their
basic meat mixture, while another aunt
would top the mashed potato with grated cheddar cheese and crushed potato crisps
for that extra fat and calorie value! Looking back I can't say whose version I preferred
but as this is nearest to my mother's I guess with hindsite that speaks volumes.
Over the years I have come to the conclusion
that there almost as many versions of Sheppard's pie as people making it and it
boils down to personal choice. Last week my friend presented me with Sheppard's
pie with a mashed cauliflower topping It was really wonderful especially for
those watching their carb intake.
HERE IS MY VERSION OF
A RICH AND HEALTHY FAT REDUCED COULD BE A COTTAGE OR A SHEPPARD'S PIE.
4-6 people You
need
3/4 of a kilo (750 grams) good
quality Minced beef
1 leek cleaned and chopped finely
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 bay leaves
3 carrots peeled and diced
2 stalks celery peeled and diced
1 tea spoon cacao
1 large onion chopped finely
1 dessert spoon organic sugar
free tomato ketchup
1 pint of good stock, preferably chicken
of beef, or vegetable with a teaspoon of marmite
1 teaspoon thyme leaves (dried)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Non ionized sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper.
1 teaspoon coconut oil melted.
Heat the coconut oil in a thick
bottom pot, and add the onion and garlic, then the carrots leeks and celery,
bay leaf place a lid on the pot cook on a medium heat and cook for 10 minutes
so all the aromatic flavors come through.
Add the meat, thyme and mix well,
cook on a low heat till the meat is browned, then add your cacao and cinnamon these
both bring out the flavor of the beef.
Add your stock, and your organic tomato ketchup or paste season to taste. Reduce
to a low heat, and simmer for about 40 minutes, 30 with the lid and the last 10
minutes without to reduce the stock down.
For the topping you
need.
2 kilos sweet potato
1 large red skin potato
1/4 cup almond or Coconut milk its
best with coconut milk
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Freshly ground black pepper sea salt to taste.
Peel and chop all the potatoes,
place them in a large pan of boiling water with a pinch of salt. Cook for 10-15
minutes till soft,
Drain all the water, season well,
add the coconut oil and mash well, then add the coconut milk to the potato
mixture and mix.
Set aside to cool,
At this stage you can assemble the
pie or wait till both the meat and the potato mixture have cooled a bit to make
for easier to handle.
To Assemble The Cottage/ Sheppard's
Pie.
Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas
5
Choose your dish wisely.. I use a deep
Pyrex, so that one can see the division of the pie at the table, but my mother
use to use a deep oval metal pie dish…I just know that once a family adopts a
certain recipe and dish it becomes the family favorite.
Your meat mixture should be juicy
but not runny, ( and certainly not dry) so you can take off any excess fluid
and set it aside to serve as gravy .
Place the meat mixture in the dish
spread evenly.
Top with the sweet potato making sure
you spread the potatoes to the very edge therefore sealing in all the meat
juices.
Take a fork and ruffle the top.
 |
| Ruffle the top with a fork to create peaks |
(At this stage you can freeze the
pie up to a month, defrost totally then continue as below.)
Bake for 25-30 minutes till the top goes
golden and the meat mixture is bubbling at the edges.
I always let mine stand for 5-6
minutes before serving so the layers settle.
Serve on its own, or with a variety
of vegetables. (I like cauliflower cabbage or swede!)
I am a real lover of Shepherds
/Cottage pie, the name is of no importance to me; one bite takes me back to winter suppers of my childhood, there
is no right or wrong way to make it, but I hope you enjoy my simple version
that I guarantee will warm you up from within while enveloping you in a feeling
of tranquility and comfort of times gone by.
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