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Lamb shepherd's pie

Verdict: Maybe one of the best things I've ever made.

Serves 6 · 9x13 pan · Source: Alton Brown's Shepherd's Pie Reloaded with Kenji López-Alt's gelatin and Marmite, rebuilt around leftover roast lamb

Ingredients

Filling
  • 1.5 lb leftover roast lamb, cubed into rough ½-inch pieces, plus any reserved jus
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil or lamb fat
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1.5 cups diced carrot (about 2 medium)
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • ¾ tsp curry powder
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1¾ cups stock, made from bouillon and the potato cooking water
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire
  • 1 tsp Marmite, optional
  • 2 tsp gelatin, bloomed in 3 tbsp cold water
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • Salt and pepper
Mash
  • 2.5 lb russets, peeled, in 1-inch chunks
  • ½ cup half-and-half, plus a splash if stiff
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1½ tsp kosher salt, plus a big tablespoon for the boiling water

Method

  1. Cover the 2.5 lb potatoes with cold water by 2 inches and add a big tablespoon of salt. Boil, then simmer 8 to 10 minutes until tender. Meanwhile warm ½ cup half-and-half with 6 tbsp butter.
  2. Drain, keeping the cooking water. Mix 1¾ cups of it with bouillon for the stock. Mash or rice the potatoes, stir in the warm dairy and 1½ tsp salt, then the 2 egg yolks. Set aside.
  3. Heat the oven to 400°F with a foil-lined sheet pan on the rack below the middle rack. Bloom 2 tsp gelatin in 3 tbsp cold water.
  4. Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high. Cook the onion, 1.5 cups carrot and 2 ribs celery with a pinch of salt for 5 to 7 minutes, until softening and colouring.
  5. Add 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp rosemary, 1 tsp thyme and ¾ tsp curry powder. Cook 1 minute.
  6. Sprinkle in 2 tbsp flour and cook 1 minute. Add 1 tbsp tomato paste and cook 1 minute, until darkened.
  7. Pour in 1¾ cups stock and any jus, 2 tsp Worcestershire and 1 tsp Marmite. Simmer about 5 minutes. The gravy should coat a spoon but still flow, so add the last ¼ cup of stock only if it needs it.
  8. Turn the heat to low. Stir in the 1.5 lb lamb and the gelatin and warm 3 to 5 minutes without a hard boil. Season hard. Off the heat, stir in 1 cup peas.
  9. Spread the filling in a 9x13x2-inch pan, about 1 inch deep. Top with a ½-inch layer of mash, about 80% of the batch. Press the mash firmly against the pan walls all the way round to seal, then rake ridges with a fork.
  10. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling at the edges. Broil 1 to 2 minutes only if the top is pale.
  11. Rest 10 to 15 minutes.

Notes

  • Must, must, must be cubed roast lamb, not ground lamb.
  • Make the stock by mixing bouillon with the potato cooking water in place of plain water.
  • Always use the gelatin.
  • Use lots of herbs. Treat the rosemary and thyme above as the floor.
  • Build the gravy first and add the lamb only at the end, on low heat, so the cooked meat doesn't dry out.
  • Aim for a scoop that is two-thirds filling and one-third mash. The spare cup of mash makes a potato cake the next day.
  • Leftovers from the mustard roast leg of lamb are ideal here.