We made this dish using leftovers from the roast shoulder of lamb with herbs and honey, and both dishes are truly delicious. I must apologise for the photo of this one – I was so hungry when I took it so it’s a bit blurry, oops! But I promise you it is worth making!

This recipe is by the Hairy Bikers and comes from the BBC website.

Ingredients

For the filling
2-3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 onions, peeled, diced
2 celery stalks, trimmed, diced
2 carrots, peeled, trimmed, diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
knob fresh ginger, peeled, grated
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp mustard seeds
500g/1lb 2oz leftover roast lamb, finely diced
½ orange, zest only
1 tbsp plain flour
250ml/9fl oz warm lamb stock
1 tsp clear honey
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 dried figs, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Bombay mashed potato
400g/14oz floury potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled, diced
2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 large pinches mild curry powder
½ tsp cumin seeds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan with a tight-fitting lid over a medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger and spices, stir well and fry for 8-10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened slightly. Increase the heat and stir in the leftover lamb and orange zest. Continue to cook for a further five minutes.

3. Sprinkle over the flour and stir to incorporate, then pour over the stock. Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering and stir in the honey, Worcestershire sauce, and figs. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4. Cover the pan with the lid and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Whilst it is simmering you can start on the Bombay mashed potato. Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water for 12-15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well and mash until completely smooth. Remove the meat filling from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

5. Heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add the mustard seeds, curry powder and cumin seeds and fry gently until the seeds start to pop. (Caution: keep your eyes and face away from the pan.) Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

6. Stir the spice mixture into the mashed potato and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

7. Spoon the filling into a suitably sized ovenproof dish (or two smaller ones if necessary). Top with the Bombay mashed potato, smoothing into an even layer using a spatula. Drag a fork through the topping to decorate.

8. Bake the shepherd’s pie in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the mashed potato is crisp and golden-brown. Enjoy! 🙂