Ultimate Shepherd’s Pie

Autumn has truly arrived, and, although I’ve said before that bright sunshine and soaring temperatures won’t always stop me from cooking something warming, hearty and wintery, the time is definitely right for cooking food like this. I’ve called it my ‘ultimate’ shepherd’s pie, because, for me, I don’t think this recipe can be improved upon, so much so we’ve had this for dinner four times in two weeks!

Some might argue that what I’m making is actually a cottage pie, in that I use minced beef rather than minced lamb, as per the traditional shepherd’s pie, but, frankly, the distinction is irrelevant. What matters more is eating what tastes good, so if you prefer lamb, use it. I’ve made this with vegetarian ‘mince’ too, admittedly to cater for vegetarian friends rather than out of choice, but it worked just fine. I swapped the stock for vegetable, (and in actual fact I’ve more often than not been using chicken rather than perhaps more orthodox beef stock anyway, so I don’t think it’s too important) but, my friends not being too fussy vegetarians, allowed me to keep my Worcestershire sauce. If you needed to make this truly vegetarian, I suspect you could use some good soy sauce instead to impart some of the colour and saltiness of the Worcestershire, if not the exact same depth of flavour.

While we’re talking about flavour, you’ll see I’ve added celery salt too. It struck me that, with a base of carrots and onions, celery would work here too, that trio of classic ingredients which is the base of many a delicious stock, so do add a finely diced stick or two if you’d like. The first time I made this, I didn’t have any in the house, so added some celery salt instead, adding a hint of the flavour and aroma of celery, and was so pleased with the result I’m reluctant to change now. Which brings me to the baked beans. Perhaps not traditional, although certainly the bringing together of two quite British traditions, but definitely worth a try. If you truly cannot abide the thought, perhaps substitute with the same quantity of good quality tinned chopped tomatoes.

The recipe I’ve given below is for two, although, as ever with my cooking, this could potentially serve more, less greedy people, especially with more vegetables on the side. The quantities here fill a 15 x 25 x 4cm approx dish, with the mashed potato topping mounded way above the top of the vessel. My point is, 900g of potatoes may seem a lot for two people, (and again, it could well be for two other people), but this means the pie is dinner for two by itself, no need for extras, although what I think is childhood nostalgia encourages me to generally serve this with an equally oversized portion of peas. The recipe is easily doubled, should you need, and I have previously successfully frozen a completed pie, mash and all, but without it’s final time in the oven, defrosting well (24 hours in the fridge should do it) and then cooking for maybe 40 minutes in a 200°C oven until piping hot all the way through, so why not make two?

Ultimate Shepherd’s Pie (serves 2, and see above)

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 250g minced beef
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• Half a 400g tin baked beans
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Half a teaspoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 250ml chicken stock
• 900g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks
• A good dollop of butter

Put the potatoes into a large pan of boiling, well salted water, cover, and boil until tender, more than tender in fact, until you’re sure there’ll be no little pieces of uncooked, hard potato hiding in the centre of your chunks. 25 minutes, maybe more.

Meanwhile, heat the tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large pan, and add the onions, carrots and garlic. Stir them around in the oil, put a lid on the pan, and sweat over a medium heat for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Add the minced beef to the vegetables, and fry until just browned. A wooden (or suitable plastic) fork is, I think, the best way to fry mince, as it breaks up any clumps as it moves the mince around. Add the tomato puree, and continue stirring, until it’s well distributed, and in any case for at least a minute. Add the baked beans, Worcestershire sauce and celery salt, and give everything a good stir. Add the flour, and give everything a final stir to ensure the flour is well mixed in. Pour over the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. I’m aiming for a quite thick, barely-there sauce, with all the flavours concentrated and absorbed by the meat and vegetables.

Meanwhile, when the potatoes are done, mash them (I like using my potato ricer to get a really smooth mash, for much larger quantities I would beat the potatoes to mash with an electric hand whisk, but do as you wish, trying your best to ensure no lumps), and stir in the butter, adding a little salt if needed, to taste.

Pour the cooked minced beef into a suitable oven proof dish, and top with the mashed potato. Spread the potato over the mince with a silicone spatula, sealing in the filling. Mark deep grooves into the top of the mash, using the tines of a fork and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the ridges you’ve made in the mash are slightly crunchy.

Caramelised Onion Hamburgers

You may have seen I made some caramelised onions recently, as I had planned to cook a couple of things from Nigella Express (now out in paperback, and it would appear the spaghetti from the hardback is now cooked) which called for such from a jar, which I was unable to get my hands on. I said I would use them in burgers, which I did, and cannot now think why I haven’t shared these sooner, because, as expected, they were amazing! The recipe is adapted from Nigella Express, one of the changes being an increase in the amount of caramelised onions. My serving suggestion would also be different, if still merely a suggestion – in buns, toasted if you like, topped with mature cheddar cheese, and a dollop of the ubiquitous gooey onions, preferably not fridge-cold.

Caramelised Onion Hamburgers (makes 2, and see serving suggestion above)

• 250g good minced beef
• 2 tablespoons caramelised onions (from a jar, if you like)
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Place the minced beef and onions into a bowl. Crack the egg over and add the sauces. Season with freshly ground black pepper, and mix to combine. The best way, I think, to do this is to get in there with your hands and give everything a good mix, but, if you must, you can use a spoon instead.

Divide the mixture into two portions, and shape them into burgers. Again, the easiest way is by hand, squeezing the portion of meat first into a ball, then pressing, quite firmly, into a patty, finally tidying the edges and shaping into a round. Thinner and wider works better here – fat and squat may mean the outsides begin to blacken before the inside is cooked. Place the burgers on a plate, cover with cling film, and chill in the fridge for half an hour to firm up.

Preheat the grill to high, and grill the burgers for 15 minutes, turning at the half way point, or until cooked through. Serve immediately.