Shepherd's Pie

1 tablespoon olive oil

1½ pounds ground lamb

2 medium onions, chopped

3 carrots, chopped small

½ pound cremini mushrooms

1 tablespoon tomato puree

1 tablespoon chopped thyme

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup red wine

1½ cups fresh beef stock

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

Salt

2 tablespoons butter

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup scallions, chopped

1 cup Irish cheddar, grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a deep saute pan. Brown the lamb then remove meat from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add onions to the pan and saute until slightly brown. Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, tomato puree, thyme, parsley. Stir in flour, wine, and beef stock. Return meat to the pan and bring to a boil. Cover, turn down the heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes until the lamb is fully cooked.

Peel the potatoes, cut them into large even-sized pieces and place into a pot of cold, salted water. Bring the water to a boil and cook potatoes until they are tender.

When the potatoes are done, drain off water, return them to the saucepan, cover with a clean tea cloth to absorb the steam and leave them for about 5 minutes. Next, add butter and mash them to a puree. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon meat mixture into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Spread mashed potato evenly all over. Sprinkle scallions and cheese on top of the potato and bake the pie until the top is crusty and golden, about 25 minutes.

Serves 4

Mary Reidy