One of my favourite dishes growing up, and to this day, is homemade cottage/shepherd’s pie. I have to admit, that in my family we call any minced meat covered with mash potatoes shepherd’s pie, even if it’s beef and not lamb.

But anyway, today’s recipe is an adapted version of my mum’s go-to recipe, as I’ve used my own homemade lamb stock and added chilies. My mum (and I) usually use a can of vegetable soup, which we add to the minced beef before the dish goes in the oven. It’s full of flavour, and helps to season the meat if you happen to under-season it by accident.

There is a lot of liquid with a cottage pie, due to the water that comes out of the meat, and the stock/soup, so make sure you season well. The joy of a cottage/shepherd’s pie is that you can add any vegetables you want to it, and you can even put cheese on top of the mash.

I was able to make this recipe today thanks to the fact that a friend has gone away on summer holidays, and had things in the fridge that needed using. The onions and chili was already chopped and ready for me to use! It’s only fair that I use it in a recipe that my friend would enjoy too.

Right, I’m going to keep this fairly short, as I have plans to get to the gym tomorrow morning, and need to get my beauty sleep.

Ingredients

2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon butter
400 grams lean minced beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
1 chili, chopped
150 ml homemade lamb stock (or 1 small can vegetable soup)
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
salt
pepper

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Put the potatoes in a pan of boiling water and boil until soft. Drain, return to the pan, add the butter and mash well. Set aside.
3. In a large frying pan, over a medium heat, fry the onions for a few minutes to soften. Add minced beef, salt, pepper and paprika. Cook until meat is browned.
4. Add carrots and Worcestershire sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Pour the beef into an oven-safe dish. Add in the stock.
6. Layer the mash potato over the beef. Then place in the oven.
7. Cook for 45 minutes, until some of the liquid has evaporated and the potatoes are nice and browned.
8. Separate onto four plates, and serve with steamed vegetables.