Shepherds Pie for the Hungover

I've been working from home today on mine and Emma's new business concept. Fingers crossed it all works out and we make loads of money!

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I also heard back from the photographer who expects us to pay £1175 for a CD of pictures when he has a whole package on his website offering the same thing plus 80 print for £950 - go figure. So as soon as he gets back to me with a proper offer of a refund, I'll let you know.

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My bargain of the day has to be the fruit I got off the market. I got 10 boxes of raspberries and 4 boxes of strawberries for £2.00! Yes you heard me right people! £2.00 for 14 boxes of fruit! A few of the raspberries had seen better days so I've thrown them out and washed the rest so into the freezer they'll go for future frozen margaritas or smoothies. :-)

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Kenny was very drunk last when he got in because Aston Villa beat Liverpool last night and it hasn't been done for years or something along those lines so he was very merry to say the least. I'm not surprised he's feeling rotten today so I'm making him a Shepherds Pie to make him feel better.

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Mrs Hackneys Recipe for Shepherds Pie:

Serves 4 people or 2 really hungry people with a bowl leftover for lunch the next day

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

500g minced lamb

1 x large onion, finely chopped
1 x large carrot, finely chopped
2 x cloves garlic, crushed

2 x tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 x tbsp x tomato puree
1 x tbsp x sugar
1 x tsp x dried thyme

1/2 x tsp dried rosemary

1 x Cup red wine

1 1/2 x Cups chicken stock

1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

50g / large x knob of butter

1 x egg yolk

4 - 5 tbsp x grated Parmesan plus some for sprinkling

Salt & Pepper to season

1. Preheat the oven to 200˚C or 100˚C (see number 12)

2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add in the mince and fry for around 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.

3. Add the onions, carrot and minced garlic.

4. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and herbs and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

5. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost evaporated.

6. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened.

7. Add in the sugar and mix well.

8. Add in the cornflour mixture and remove from heat.

9. Mash the boiled and drained potatoes and add in the egg yolk, butter and Parmesan. Season well. White pepper is best for this.

10. Spoon the mince mixture into the bottom of a large ovenproof dish. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the mince. Don't make it look too pretty, it loos nicer a bit chunky!

11. Grate some extra Parmesan over and season.

12. If you want to eat it soon, bake in the oven for approximately 20-25 minutes, until golden and crispy on the top - oven temp for this is 200˚C. If you want to bake it slow in the oven (for example if you're waiting for your husband to come home from a hard days work!) then put it in the oven at around 100˚C for an hour and turn up the heat to around 200˚C 10-15 minutes before you want to serve it.

Tips:
Desiree potatoes work best for mashed taters.Place the dish on a baking tray as the mince mixture can sometimes spill over the edges.

I serve this with buttered asparagus and a large glass of red wine.

Enjoy :-)