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Mini Curried Shepherd’s Pie
Mini Curried Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional South African recipe (from West India) for a classic individual shepherd's pies flavoured with curry powder and apricot jam. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic South African version of: Mini Curried Shepherd’s Pie.
prep time
20 minutes
cook time
60 minutes
Total Time:
80 minutes
Makes:
12
Rating: 
Tags : CurrySpice RecipesLamb RecipesCheese RecipesBaking RecipesSouth-africa Recipes
This is a South African twist on the traditional shepherd’s pie, with lightly-curried lamb in an apricot base served topped with mashed potato. The whole being baked in the oven. As well as lamb, this can readily be adapted to make use of left-over roast meat (chop finely) and it works well with mutton, venison, beef and even turkey.
Ingredients:
For the filling:
1kg lean minced (ground) lamb
2 small onions, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery sticks, stringy edge removed, finely diced
3 tbsp tomato puree
2 tbsp mild curry powder
2 tbsp apricot jam
25ml olive oil
pinch of sea salt
pinch of ground black pepper
For the topping:
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
50g salted butter
75ml skimmed milk
80g half fat medium cheese, grated
pinch of sea salt
pinch of ground black pepper
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Once the oil is hot, add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery and cook until soft and just coloured.
Add the lamb and continue to fry, stirring constantly, until browned all over.
Stir in the apricot jam, tomato paste and curry powder. Bring to a simmer, then simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked. Remove from the heat.
Adjust the seasoning, if needed. Divide the mixture between twelve individual ramekins.
Pre-heat your oven to gas 4,180°C (160°C fan/355°F/Gas Mark 4).
Place the potatoes in a pan of cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain and return to the pan. Place the pan back on the heat to dry the potatoes to a ‘floury’ texture – keep shaking the pan over the heat.
Meanwhile, heat the butter and milk in a pan to just below simmering point. Mash the potatoes well. Using a spatula, beat in the hot butter and milk together with the grated cheese. Season with salt and black pepper.
Spread the mash over the lamb in the dish and fluff the top with a fork. You can also allow the mash to cool then use a piping bag to pipe attractively over the lamb base.
Arrange the ramekins with the mini shepherd's pies onto a baking tray then transfer to the centre of your pre-heated oven. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the pies are heated right through and the potato topping has lightly browned. Serve immediately.
