Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie

This British comfort food is a variation of other similar dishes existing in other countries. For example, in France it is called Hachis Parmentier whereas in Lebanon it is called Kebbet Batata.

In UK, the dish that is prepared with minced lamb is called Sheperd’s Pie and the one that is with minced beef is called Cottage Pie. They both contain also some vegetables whereas the French and the Lebanese recipes include minced meat and mashed potatoes but no vegetables.

Since we have been told that too much red meat is bad for our health and that the maximum consumption should be 500g per person, per week, I sometimes use minced turkey instead.

Ingredients

• 8 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 400g of minced meat (beef or lamb or turkey)
• 1 big onion, diced
• 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 big stick of celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 100g of frozen peas
• 1 can of peeled tomatoes (400g)
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste, diluted in 2 or 3 tbsp of water
• 1 tsp of thyme or oregano
• 1 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
• Enough olive oil to sauté the meat and the vegetables
• 50 g of butter
• A splash of milk or cream for the mashed potatoes
• 1 tsp of turmeric (healthy supplement), for the meat mix
• Salt and black pepper for the meat mix
• Salt and white pepper for the potatoes

Method