highlandsflyer
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swannymere":1je8kxxq said:
I think you will find students spend a vast amount buying joints.
Unfortunately there are all sorts of stats that indicate we waste more food than every in the modern kitchen!
Shepard's Pie - Tips, Suggestions & Proselytizing
- Thread starter classen
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I think you will find students spend a vast amount buying joints.
Unfortunately there are all sorts of stats that indicate we waste more food than every in the modern kitchen!
sheperds pie is simple, filling & tasty if done right. It will take 3 days to make it properly though.
1 lamb shoulder, fat well trimmed, minced (bones fat & trimmings reserved.)
2 onions
3 decent sized carrots
2 cloves garlic
spuds
butter
tinned sweetcorn
frozen garden peas
tin of condensed oxtail soup
fresh mint
---
day 1
take lamb bones (roasted) & trimmings, onion peel, carrot peels & ends & garlic germ & skin - put in a pan, fill with water, salt, pepper & a bayleaf or bouquet garni (or both) bring to the boil & simmer for about 5 hours.
strain then reduce down to approx 1/2 a pint of stock. place in a jug & stick it in the fridge
---
day 2
large heavy bottomed pan, brown the minced lamb & season with salt & black pepper then sit in a strainer to remove excess fat.
add diced onion, diced carrot & diced garlic (when you cut the garlic in half remove the green germ from the middle to use in the stock (please don't use one of those garlic presses - they kill the garlic) gently fry until softened then add the mince back into the pan.
take the jug of stock out of the fridge & take the fat off the top (you can keep it to one side & use it for sundays roast potatoes if you wish!) keep adding the stock small quantities at a time to stop the mix from sticking until the carrot is cooked through. add the rest of the stock, peas & sweetcorn & the tin of soup then reduce to a good saucy consistency.
add the mint (shredded) once the mix is off the heat & season if needed.
now pour the mix into an oven proof dish & flatten off ready to put the mash on top.
---
day 3
make your mash. don't boil the spuds, poach them in barely simmering water. this loses the starch from the spuds & makes the mash far, far smoother & creamier.
drain the spuds once soft, season, add melted butter & gold top milk & mash until completely smooth.
arrange mash on top of meat mixture (piping with a fluted nozzle looks better & gives a better crispy top but you can just spoon it on roughen the surface with a fork.)
bake in a hot oven until crispy on top & piping hot underneath & serve with crusty bread & braised red cabbage
(braised red cabbage... fill a large oven tray with shredded red cabbage, add diced peeled apple, sultanas, a handful of castor sugar, white wine vinegar & diced butter. cover with foil & throw in the oven for about 45 minutes until tender & juicy. the butter, sugar & vinegar will give a rich glossy coating to the cabbage that makes it far nicer than that pickled muck you get in glass jars.)
enjoy!
1 lamb shoulder, fat well trimmed, minced (bones fat & trimmings reserved.)
2 onions
3 decent sized carrots
2 cloves garlic
spuds
butter
tinned sweetcorn
frozen garden peas
tin of condensed oxtail soup
fresh mint
---
day 1
take lamb bones (roasted) & trimmings, onion peel, carrot peels & ends & garlic germ & skin - put in a pan, fill with water, salt, pepper & a bayleaf or bouquet garni (or both) bring to the boil & simmer for about 5 hours.
strain then reduce down to approx 1/2 a pint of stock. place in a jug & stick it in the fridge
---
day 2
large heavy bottomed pan, brown the minced lamb & season with salt & black pepper then sit in a strainer to remove excess fat.
add diced onion, diced carrot & diced garlic (when you cut the garlic in half remove the green germ from the middle to use in the stock (please don't use one of those garlic presses - they kill the garlic) gently fry until softened then add the mince back into the pan.
take the jug of stock out of the fridge & take the fat off the top (you can keep it to one side & use it for sundays roast potatoes if you wish!) keep adding the stock small quantities at a time to stop the mix from sticking until the carrot is cooked through. add the rest of the stock, peas & sweetcorn & the tin of soup then reduce to a good saucy consistency.
add the mint (shredded) once the mix is off the heat & season if needed.
now pour the mix into an oven proof dish & flatten off ready to put the mash on top.
---
day 3
make your mash. don't boil the spuds, poach them in barely simmering water. this loses the starch from the spuds & makes the mash far, far smoother & creamier.
drain the spuds once soft, season, add melted butter & gold top milk & mash until completely smooth.
arrange mash on top of meat mixture (piping with a fluted nozzle looks better & gives a better crispy top but you can just spoon it on roughen the surface with a fork.)
bake in a hot oven until crispy on top & piping hot underneath & serve with crusty bread & braised red cabbage
(braised red cabbage... fill a large oven tray with shredded red cabbage, add diced peeled apple, sultanas, a handful of castor sugar, white wine vinegar & diced butter. cover with foil & throw in the oven for about 45 minutes until tender & juicy. the butter, sugar & vinegar will give a rich glossy coating to the cabbage that makes it far nicer than that pickled muck you get in glass jars.)
enjoy!
unkleGsif":1utqiqsj said:
not with lamb.
with beef or pork (or a mixture of both) hp & a touch of sweet chilli work quite well together, as does worcester but why bother paying the extra for lamb if your going to put things to it that will mask its flavour?
what i forgot to say is that shop bought minced lamb will have a very high fat content & probably contain some pork to keep it moist. if your gonna do something, do it properly & get them to mince up a full shoulder for you!
unkleGsif":2yrmt0jo said:Won the EuroMillions lately have we
G
nope - far from it. a full shoulder will cost less (or certainly no more) than the equivalent weight of minced lamb. with the bonus of a good stock for nowt!
this is basically because mince in a butchers shop is made from trimmings & lambs are expensive & economical re: useable meat to mince-only meat unlike cows (hence minced beef being cheaper than stewing steak / braising steak.) aside from bone scrapings, surplus breasts & the odd half shoulder that doesn't look good enough to go on the counter, very little lamb goes to waste so the majority of lamb mince is actually 'good' meat that would sell as henry's, diced or joints hence it being more. at least it always has been for me in 10+ years as a chef & butcher.
with a handy £20 purchase of a hand mincer for the home, I can buy a full shoulder of lamb for about £15 (admittedly I do get it from the local slaughter house as its closer than the nearest butchers shop) this would give me at least enough for 10 portions, probably more with a spare neck fillet to throw on the BBQ for lunch the next day!
besides, i don't even have enough spare cash to buy a euromillions ticket at the moment!
highlandsflyer
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jax13":1ivaxyra said:
Simple?
I would love to see what you consider complex!
Here is my recipe for an ethical de-constructed Shepherd's Pie.
One lamb, left in field chewing grass.
I packet of Smash.
Twelve pack of Wheat Beer.
Grated Parmesan.
Prepare the Smash, whilst drinking two of the beers.
Sprinkle generously with the cheese.
Enjoy whilst drinking further two beers.
Observe the lamb frolicking in the pasture.
Contemplate the world, and those eight beers.
*If you don't have Smash it is possible to substitute this with anything edible.
*If you don't enjoy wheat beer, replace with other alcoholic beverage as desired.
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jax13":36ik62sl said:
Can you explain this for me please? A garlic press is a fairly recent addition to my kitchen and I love it as it makes preparation a lot easier.
BTW, you can come round my house anytime to cook me that shepards pie, as long as you pay for the power to simmer the stock for five hours!! :shock:
Oh, and the cheese doesn't want to be in the mash, just a tiny bit grated on top.
garlic presses basically squash a raw clove through a ricer plate. a lot of the good stuff doesn't get through & a lot of the natural oils end up lining the press rather than going into the food - in short, they waste the best bits.
a couple of methods i use -
homemade lazy garlic: dice & finely chop a months supply of garlic (peeled & de-germed before you chop it) put the garlic in a sterilised kilner type preserving jar, cover in your favourite oil (most people like olive oil but i prefer a tasteless sunflower or veg oil) keep it in the fridge & use it instantly whenever you want it. just make sure the oil completely covers the garlic to stop it going funky.
roasted garlic paste: cut a bulb of garlic in half across its belly & place cut side up on a baking tray. season with sea salt & cracked black pepper,drizzle with oil & gently roast (140 degrees maximum) until the garlic goes squidgy. squeeze all the cloves into a bowl, add a touch more oil & mash to a paste. the best thing i found for this is to freeze it in ice cube trays & drop one in as you want it.
a couple of methods i use -
homemade lazy garlic: dice & finely chop a months supply of garlic (peeled & de-germed before you chop it) put the garlic in a sterilised kilner type preserving jar, cover in your favourite oil (most people like olive oil but i prefer a tasteless sunflower or veg oil) keep it in the fridge & use it instantly whenever you want it. just make sure the oil completely covers the garlic to stop it going funky.
roasted garlic paste: cut a bulb of garlic in half across its belly & place cut side up on a baking tray. season with sea salt & cracked black pepper,drizzle with oil & gently roast (140 degrees maximum) until the garlic goes squidgy. squeeze all the cloves into a bowl, add a touch more oil & mash to a paste. the best thing i found for this is to freeze it in ice cube trays & drop one in as you want it.
