SANTORINI SHEPHERDS’ PIE
Ready in 1 hour Serves 6
2 cups tomato pasta sauce
1 tsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp each cinnamon and allspice
¼ tsp each nutmeg and ground cloves Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
400g lean lamb mince
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
1 tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
100g feta cheese, finely crumbled
Mashed potato
1kg floury potatoes, such as agria or rua, cut into 4cm chunks 2 Tbsp butter ½ cup milk, approx Salt and fine white pepper, to taste To make mashed potatoes, place potatoes in a pot, cover with water and 1 tsp salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until just tender. Drain well. Mash to a fine puree with a fork or masher (don’t puree or blend in a food processor). Add butter and enough milk to make a soft, spoonable mash. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. You should have about 4 cups of mash. To make the filling, combine pasta sauce, sugar, herbs, spices and lemon zest in a large pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon to remove lumps. Add carrots, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 200C fanbake. Transfer mince mixture to a pie dish, spread mashed potato over the top and sprinkle with crumbled feta. Bake until piping hot and golden (about 30 minutes).
Annabel says: This tasty lamb sauce can also be prepared with a pastry topping. Bake as for the hot ’n’ spicy chicken pies. It’s also delicious tossed through pasta or served over couscous or rice.