From leftovers to luscious! Shepherds Pie

The other weekend when I was in Cairns visiting family I left hubby with next to no food - so I sent him an email with what we needed from the farmgate and he took the frills.  Everything I thought had gone to plan until he told me that I had sent the list to his work address, and by the time he got it he was home - so he just winged it.  

Well it wasn't disastrous but it wasn't his finest moment either as they had run out of fruit within 3 days and bought a whole lot of meat that won't feed us for duration until we get back to the farmgate.  Oh well he did try.  What he did do was buy a side of lamb - and that's a lotta lamb my friends - so lamb chops, and a huge shoulder of lamb have been two dishes we've had in the past week - the lamb shoulder had so much leftover I couldn't just let it be sandwich meat.... so it was reincarnated - into Shepherds pie.

the leftovers!!

It's easy to do, and you can be savvy and use leftover any vegetables.  They say use swedes, parsnips, carrot and peas - that the traditional way but I only had carrot and beans, and it was fine.  Use what you need to use I say - though I wouldn't go with cauliflower or broccoli - just stick to the root veges I say.


Ingredients:
300-500g roast lamb leftovers, removed from bone, and diced
2 cloves garlic - peeled and finely diced
1 sprig rosemary 0 leaves only
1 sprig thyme- leaves only
1 large or 2 small onions, diced
2 large or 3 small carrots, peeled and diced
1 litre beef stock
400g tin diced tomatoes

3-4 cups mashed potato (depending how much you like!)


Method:
In a deep saucepan splash a bit of oil in the bottom and heat to a medium-high temperature.  Saute the onions until they become clear, add the carrot (and any other root vegetables you might want to add) for a few minutes and then add the garlic, rosemary and thyme.

Splosh those around the pan for a further minute and then add the stock and the tomatoes.  Lastly, add the lamb and turn down the heat to a simmer.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees c

Allow it to reduce to a thicken a little until it takes on the look of a stew.

Transfer to pie dish or casserole tray and mix through your peas or beans.  Top with mash and make some marks across and crossing over with the back of a fork, that helps the top go all lovely and crispy.

At this point you can cool and refrigerate if making ahead, but if eating straight away - put into the oven for 20-25 minutes - if cooking from cooled 35-45 until lightly browned on top.

Delicious - this may have you on the hunt for lamb shoulder a little too big for your family - or, you could use 600g lamb mince !

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