Lamb Shepherd's Pie

A beautiful, cosy Lamb Shepherd's Pie recipe, perfect for a Winter dinner party. Made with a red wine, rosemary lamb ragu and topped with a creamy cauliflower and potato mash.

Woah, hey there! It's been a while! I know I've been little MIA on theHCK lately, but I have big news! We moved back to Australia! We made the decision back in February this year and made the big move home in April. We moved back to Melbourne and so far, are absolutely loving Melbourne life!

I did take some time off blogging, but I'm stoked to finally be getting my rhythm back and bringing back new recipes for the blog. It is coming into Winter here, so except some cosier recipes (I can't bring myself to make summer recipes when it's so cold!), but I'll try and sneak some summer recipes in there for my US readers!

Nothing much is changing content-wise, but I am excited to bring you some more healthy recipes, using fresh Aussie produce. Australia has the best produce and I'm so excited to show you guys some different style of recipes using beautiful produce.

But enough chit chat, let's get down to business!

Lamb Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's pie is a combination of lamb ragu (hence shepherd's!) topped with mashed potato. To make it a little different, I added some mashed cauliflower and cheese to the potato mash for this recipe, because I love the added earthiness the cauliflower adds.

What is lamb ragu?

Lamb ragu is a meat-based sauce made from minced/ground lamb, onion, carrot, celery, herbs, red wine and stock. For this ragu, I used rosemary to complement the lamb, and a Pinot Noir for a light red wine.

This is an optional step, but, in my opinion, adds a whole lot of flavour to the recipe. Make your ragu the night before and let it sit overnight in the fridge to let the flavours stew. Making it the night before actually makes it way easier to assemble the next day, because you only need to make the mash and bake the pie.

How to Cook a Lamb Ragu

1. Heat the olive oil in an oven-friendly Dutch oven.
2. Sautee the onion, celery and onion.
3. Add the garlic and lamb mince and cook until lamb just browns.
4. Deglaze with red wine, then add in half the beef stock, tomatoes, bay leaves and rosemary.
5. Bring to a simmer for half an hour, then add in remaining stock.
6. Simmer until the sauce thickens, then cool and refrigerate until the next day.

How to Make Cauliflower and Potato Mash

This is a really easy element of the dish. I used around half a head of fresh cauliflower and 5-6 small, white potatoes that I peeled. You'll want to cut your cauliflower into rather large chunks, and keep your potatoes cut into smaller chunks so they cook evenly.

You simply boil the cauliflower and potatoes in some water, then drain the water and mash the veggies together with some milk, butter and salt and pepper.

How Do I Cook Lamb Shepherd's Pie?

I use an oven-proof Dutch oven to cook my lamb shepherd's pie. You add the ragu to the bottom layer, then top with your mashed potato and cauliflower. I use a knife to smooth over the surface so it's nice and even.

Top with cheese and bake in a moderate oven until the top is starting to get nice and crispy.

This is truly a gorgeous dish for a cozy winter dinner party and has been an absolute hit in our household! Nothing beats a lamb shepherd's pie for the ultimate comfort food!

Georgie x

Lamb Shepherd's Pie

The Home Cook's Kitchen

This Lamb Shepherd's Pie is a beautiful and cosy winter recipe. Made with lamb ragu, and a creamy cauliflower and potato mash, perfect for weekday cooking or a dinner party.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Resting Time (optional) 1 day d

Total Time 1 day d 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Australian

Servings 6 people

Calories 415 kcal

Ingredients

 

Lamb Ragu

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion finely diced
• 1 carrot finely diced
• 2 celery sticks finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves crushed or finely minced
• 500 g lamb mince/ground lamb
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• ½ cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock divided
• 400/14.5 g/oz tin diced tomatoes

Cauliflower and Potato Mash

• ½ head cauliflower
• 6 small white potatoes peeled and diced
• 1 cup water
• ½ tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon milk
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper

Instructions

 

Lamb Ragu

• Heat the olive oil in a large, oven-proof Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook for 5 minutes until the onion starts to soften. Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the lamb mince (ground lamb), and cook 5 minutes until the lamb starts to brown.
• Add the bay leaves and rosemary, and stir.
• Deglaze the bottom of the pot with the red wine, then add in the stock and tinned tomatoes.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes.
• Leave to cool, then transfer to a container and leave overnight (optional). Leaving it overnight intensifies the flavour.

Cauliflower Mash

• Preheat oven to 200C/380F.
• Place the cauliflower and potatoes in a saucepan with the water and salt.
• Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the cauliflower and potato are soft. To check, insert a knife into the potatoes and cauliflower. The knife should enter easily.
• Strain potatoes and cauliflower.
• Add milk, butter, salt and pepper to the pot and mash until there are no lumps. Alternatively, you can use a food processor to blend until it's nice and smooth.
• Transfer lamb ragu back to an oven-proof Dutch oven. Spoon mash over lamb and top with grated cheese.
• Place in oven and cook for 40 minutes or until ragu is warmed through, cheese is melted and the top of the shepherd's pie is starting to brown.

Keyword Lamb Shepherd's Pie, Shepherd's Pie

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Want more lamb recipes? Try these!

• Rosemary and Garlic Boneless Lamb Roast - the perfect entertainers dinner
• Moroccan Lamb Tagine - a beautiful, cosy winter meal.
• Feta Stuffed Lamb Burgers - great for summer grilling