Sweet potato-topped shepherd's pie

What's the difference between a cottage pie and a shepherd's pie? Well, a shepherd's pie uses lamb and a cottage pie uses, um, cottages. Well, beef in actual point of fact.

Using lamb and sweet potato in place of potatoes gives our usual cottage pie a delicious twist, particularly where the savoury lamb bubbles up around the edges of the topping and forms little rivulets of caramelised goodness.  We give the lamb mince a quick high sear to brown it, then cook it gently with onion, carrot, celery and garlic.  The filling has a lovely depth of flavour from tomatoes, red wine and Worstershire sauce, with pops of green peas and a layer of rosemary-flecked sweet potato puree.  

To assemble, we simply pile the filling into oven-ready trays, pipe on the sweet potato topping and freeze, ready for you to bake at home.

 

 

Lamb, carrots, celery, sweet potato, peas, onion, garlic, rosemary, tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, butter, olive oil, pepper, salt.

Serve with a green salad, steamed buttered greens or broccoli.