I have been craving potatoes ever since I made those awesome Crispy New Potatoes when I was in Austin last week. Instead of making them again for Carlo to try, I decided to make some Spring Shepherd’s Pie and get my mashed potato fix instead. Shepherd’s Pie is normally associated with stodgy cold weather food, but the tomatoes in the meat sauce helped lighten this recipe up, as well as the crunchy rosemary in the mashed potatoes.
The Spring Shepherd’s Pie feeds 6 people at $2.35 per serving.
I like Jamie Oliver and I think he makes good food that focuses on fresh and seasonal ingredients, but I really don’t get why he insists on putting bacon or pancetta in pretty much every recipe! Half the time it isn’t entirely necessarily and only serves to add some extra fat to the recipe. Since I’m trying to eat healthier, I chose not to add the pancetta that the recipe calls for and add some extra veggies and an extra can of chopped tomatoes to the meat sauce insead. Lamb was also quite expensive at the store, so I decided to use some lean minced beef instead.
I love mashed potatoes and these were no exception. I mainly followed the recipe instructions, but added a little less butter. Basically I just eyeballed the potatoes and mashed and mixed until they were light and fluffy. The lighter the potatoes, the less heavy the Shepherd’s Pie, which is a good thing at this time of the year.
Frying the rosemary reminded me of frying the sage for the Fried Egg with Sage, Chilli and Garlicky Yogurt. The rosemary fried up quite crisp, and more importantly, the fragrance of the rosemary made the kitchen smell divine. After mixing the fried rosemary into the potatoes, I decided at the last minute to add the remaining butter in the pan to further infuse the rosemary flavour into the mashed potatoes (so much for trying to use less butter in the potatoes!).
My mum would always score the top of her Shepherd’s Pie with the back of a fork when I was a kid, and I love to do the same with mine because it helps the mashed potatoes brown better and it makes the pie look fancier as well.
The Spring Shepherd’s Pie is an easy dinner that can be prepared in advance and then put in the oven to cook right before serving, and more importantly, it makes for great leftovers.
I just want to thank you for all these delicious recipes. I’m a grad student and I need good food on a budget. I live in Austin and we do have some fantastic farmers markets. Thanks again!
Thanks Michele, we’re glad you’re enjoying them!
I happened upon your site quite by accident and have tried three of the recipes. I enjoyed the recipes and especially the way you presented them. Thanx
Glad that you like the site John! You are making me crave Shepherd’s Pie now, even though it still far too hot in Vegas for such hearty food. I can’t wait for Fall.