Slow cooker shepherd’s pie
Make your shepherd’s pie mix in the slow cooker for ease, then top with creamy mashed potato and finish in the oven. This recipe freezes beautifully, so divide into smaller portions if you like. Serve what you need and freeze the rest for up to 3 months.
Ingredients
- 500g/1lb 2oz lamb mince
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 celery stick, trimmed and thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 275ml/9½fl oz hot lamb stock, made with 1 stock cube
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3–4 medium carrots, about 300g/10½oz, peeled and cut into 1.5cm/½in chunks
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the potato topping
Method
Put the mince, onion and celery in a large non-stick frying pan and fry together over a medium–high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring and squishing against the side of the pan with a couple of wooden spoons to break up the mince as much as possible.
Tip the mince, onion and celery into the slow cooker and toss with the flour. Mix the hot stock with the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the mince. Add the carrots and herbs. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper and stir well.
Cover the slow cooker with its lid and cook on high for 4½–5½ hours or low for 7–9 hours. (Cover and cook for a further 10 minutes if not baking afterwards.)
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Twenty minutes before the mince is ready, simmer the potatoes in a large pan of water for about 15 minutes or until soft. Drain well, then return to the pan and add the butter along with plenty of salt and pepper. Mash together. Add the milk and mash until smooth. (Warm the milk first if not baking in the oven afterwards.)
Transfer the mince mixture to a shallow ovenproof dish and top with the mashed potatoes, using a large metal spoon and starting at the outside of the dish and working your way through to the centre. Bake for 25–30 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Serve alongside your choice of vegetables.
Recipe Tips
Use your own favourite recipe for the mash if you prefer, or simply serve the mince with mash or boiled potatoes on the side.
Add 50g/1¾oz finely grated cheese to the mashed potatoes if you like and sprinkle a little extra over the topping just before baking.
If saving leftovers, reheat the shepherd’s pie from frozen for the best results.