Hubby food #3: Shepherd's pie

(serves 4-6)

Paul's favourite food of all time. 

When we started dating, i remember the glazed look that passed through his eyes as he fondly recounted this amazing Shepherd's pie that he devoured within seconds at a church friend's place, and then politely asked for seconds... I guess ever since then i've wanted to try make this classic British dish for him, but having never really had a proper Shepherd's pie, there was a bit of guesswork as to what this rustic country dish tastes like. After a couple of pointers from him, this is the 2nd time i've made it and i think it's pretty close to the real thing :) 

I think there's a bit of personal preference when it comes to how tangy and juicy individuals like this, and how much cheddar to use to enhance the creamy, cheesy potatoey goodness that comes from this pastry-less pie, so trial and error till you find what you like best! 

Prep time: 1hr
Cooking time: 30 min

Ingredients
1 brown onion
2 small carrots
1 stalk celery
2 cloves garlic
500g lamb mince
2 Tbsp tomato paste (or 400g tinned tomatoes)
2 cup beef stock

1/2 cup red wine 
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup plain flour

2 tsp dried thyme

1 stem fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
2 bay leaves, dried

1 cup frozen peas

salt and pepper

1 kg potatoes
40g butter
1/2 C milk
30g cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Method
1. Finely dice the onion, carrots, celery and garlic.
2. Heat a saucepan on medium heat, add 1 T olive oil then add in the vegetables and sauté for 3-5 minutes until soft.
3. Add in lamb mince and cook for 4-5 minutes until lamb is browned, stirring regularly to break up any lumps.

4. Add in the beef stock, chopped tomato, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to the boil then simmer for 30-40min. Stir in the flour to thicken the sauce after 20 min, season to taste with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
NB. The sauce should have a slight zing to it, be thick but still juicy.

5. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and put into a pot of boiling water for 15-20 minutes until soft. Drain the water, then mash potatoes with the butter and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. 
7. To assemble the pie, place the lamb sauce on the bottom. Generously spread a layer of grated cheddar on top, place the mashed potato on top, covering all the sauce evenly. Sprinkle the top of the mash potato with another layer of cheddar.

8. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is just bubbling through!