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Posts Tagged ‘Pie Recipe’

Normal nursery food has made a comeback in our family lately.

I haven’t worried making shepherd’s pie ( or cottage pie, as it is also known ) for ages, as the youngsters just used to eat the potato from the top and leave the mince.

If I use the same minced meat to make meatballs or burgers the children devour it, but they don’t like picking out all of the small bits of veggies that I hopefully put into it, when I make the shepherd’s pie, in the expectation of smuggling some veg into their diet. Anyhow my child basically requested shepherd’s pie yesterday, so yesterday I made it and they gobbled it up, plants and all, several servings each, so I’ve gained another dish for the regular list.

Recipe for Shepherd’s Pie – to feed four:

500g/1lb good quality minced beef or lamb (hamburger beef)

1 onion (finely chop)

2 carrots (finely chop)

1 stick of celery (finely chop)

1 clove garlic (finely chop)

2 large fresh tomatoes or half a tin of tomatoes (skinned and chopped)

2 tablespoons olive oil

a dash of wine

a few drops Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

salt and pepper

water or stock

potatoes peeled (the amount of potatoes depends on how much you may need)

small piece of butter – about 20g/1oz and milk to mash with

In a low heat sauté the onion in an olive oil until translucent, then add the celery, carrots and garlic. Continue sautéing for five minutes. Turn the heat up and add the meat. Cook the meat until it has just lost its redness. Then add the wine and stir. Add the tomatoes and put the rest of the seasonings together with enough water or stock to cover the meat.  Cover with a lid and leave to cook for 1-2 hours.

Bring the potatoes into a boil until it is cooked and soft. Drain and mash the potatoes, add butter, milk and salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven 200 degrees C or 400 degrees F.

In a dish put the cooked meat and top it with the mashed potatoes. Place the dish in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until the top in golden brown.