Chunky Lamb Shepherd’s Pie
Everyone loves a classic British Shepherd’s pie. Instead of making it with lamb mince, in this recipe you will get the best out of lamb neck fillet. After a low and slow cook for 8 hours, the chunky lamb pieces will fall apart on your fork and melt in your mouth – exactly how it should be!
This recipe requires a little preparation upfront and at the end, so take that into consideration when planning your timings. Firstly, coat the lamb in a little flour with some salt and pepper. Next, in a hot pan with a little oil, brown the chunks of lamb and soften the onion and garlic. This locks in the flavour and adds colour to the meat. Combine the rest of the ingredient sin the slow cooker and give it a good stir. Then let the slow cooker to work its magic. Eight hours later you and will have a mouth-watering filling for your pie.
In the meantime, prepare some creamy mashed potato to get ready for the final step. There’s no shame in using shop-bought mashed potato here to make your life easier and limit the washing up!
Once the slow cook is finished, check the consistency and if you’d like to thicken the mixture, add a little cornflour (mixed with water first) until you reach your desired thickness. Be careful not to overdo it though. A little goes a long way, plus you can add more but you can’t take away! Transfer everything to a pie dish, spread mashed potato over the top and finish off under the grill for 5-10 minutes to add some colour.
Slow Cooker Chunky Lamb Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Frying Pan
- Grill (broiler)
Ingredients
For browning
- 1 tbsp oil of your choice
- 1-2 tbsp plain flour to coat the lamb
- Pinch black pepper added to the flour
Ingredients
- 500 g Lamb neck fillet cut into chunks
- 1 Onion diced
- 2 Garlic cloves minced
- 250 ml Beef stock or lamb stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1/2 tbsp Dried thyme
- 2 Carrots diced
- 100 g Frozen peas
- 2 Bay leaves
To thicken, at the end
- 1 tbsp Cornflour slurry
Don't forget
- Mashed potatoes to top the pie!
Instructions
- Cut your lamb neck fillet into chunks. Optionally lightly coat the lamb in plain flour with a pinch of black pepper.
- In a hot pan with a little oil, brown the lamb on all sides. Do this in batches if needed.
- Turn the temperature down to a medium heat. Sauté the onions for a few minutes. Then add garlic and cook for a further few minutes.
- In the slow cooker, combine all ingredients (except for the cornflour slurry and mashed potatoes) and stir well.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
- Optional: after the slow cook, carefully thicken the mixture by adding small amounts of cornflour (mixed with a little warm water first) and stirring well.
- Transfer the mixture to a pie dish, top with mashed potato and rough up the surface with a fork.
- Place under a hot grill for 5-10 minutes until a lovely golden brown colour.
