Let’s not mince words: this pie was a thrifty superstar

Rationing still loomed over my Sixties boyhood – but sometimes necessity is the mother of a classic

STEPHEN HARRIS

struggling to throw off the restrictions of wartime. I spent my early years raiding the fridge, only to find bowls of fat retained from Sunday lunch, to be spread on toast later in the week.

Shepherd’s/cottage pie was another instance of this thrifty attitude. The idea of just chucking leftover meat away would horrify anyone who had lived through the war. Though my favourite way of using leftover roast lamb would probably appal them: sliced in a sandwich with mango chutney and sour cream.

My five-year-old son, Stanley, is fascinated by history. When I told him we were once at war with Germany and that they used to drop bombs on us, it felt so unlikely, so remote. I tell him that his great-grandfather used to shoot at German planes from the roof of a school in Eltham with a Bren gun and I have to check myself as it seems so improbable. Did that really happen?

Shepherd’s pie was one of the first things I learned to cook. The process of making the meat part of the dish is one of those transferable skills that means that you are close to being able to make stews, bolognese sauce, moussaka and many other dishes. The only thing I do differently to some is to brown the meat first before removing it and cooking the veg. This means you can release the fat in the meat and use it for cooking the vegetables. It also creates another deglazing opportunity, which is how you really build the flavours in a dish like this. Browning the meat creates caramelised bits at the bottom of the pan. By stirring in the diced vegetables, you can remove these bits with the moisture from the veg. This then transfers into the sauce.

I wouldn’t recommend using the leftover meat from a Sunday roast for this recipe, as the results were pretty grim and I hope we never have to resort to such wartime practices again. At least, that is what I say to comfort an anxious five-year-old.

Stephen Harris is chef-patron of The Sportsman in Seasalter, Kent, whose many awards include the No.1 spot at the 2018 Estrella Damm Best Gastropub Awards 150g butter 2 egg yolks

METHOD

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the mince. Brown it all over, breaking it down if you need to, then transfer the mince to a plate by the stove.

Add the onion, carrot and celery to the pan and cook until the vegetables are starting to soften. Add a good pinch of salt and cook for another two minutes, then add the garlic and powdered mushrooms and cook for another two minutes.

When the vegetables are starting to stick to the bottom of the pan, having released all their moisture, add the blitzed cherry tomatoes, tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce.

Cook until all the moisture is driven off.

When the mixture starts to stick to the bottom of the pan again, allow a bit of crust to form before adding the chicken stock and mushroom ketchup to deglaze the pan, scraping the stuck bits to dislodge them.

Throw in the thyme and rosemary and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes until the mix is thick and dark. Add a bit of water if the stew threatens to boil dry.

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4.

Add the crème fraîche when the mixture is nearly cooked and let it melt into the mince. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper as required.

Discard the herb stalks. Allow to cool slightly then transfer to a baking dish large enough to allow some potato on top.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until they are easily penetrated by a sharp knife. Strain in a colander and leave to cool slightly, allowing the moisture to evaporate.

Push the potatoes through a ricer into another saucepan and add the cream and butter a bit at a time, beating them into the potato, until smooth.

Add the egg yolks and beat them in. At the Sportsman, we press this through a sieve for an even smoother mash, but it can be a drag to do this at home – I’ll leave that up to you. If you have a piping bag, you can pack the potato into the bag and pipe it onto the lamb mince. If not, just spoon the potato onto the mix and use a hot spatula to spread it out. Running a fork over the top will give a nice finish.

Cook the pie in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes until the potato is golden brown.