The ultimate Shepherd’s Pie recipe

A favourite on the menu at Summer Lodge, our talented kitchen team use two different lamb cuts in our signature dish, roast loin of Dorset lamb and braised shoulder ‘shepherd's pie’ with savoy cabbage and rosemary jus.

We call it ‘shepherd’s pie’ but it’s a little more sophisticated than the dish you normally associate with that name – as you’ll see from the recipe!

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Equipment

• 1 Isi cream whipper (with 2x gas cartridges)
• Metal rings
• Butchers string
• Mandolin

Ingredients

For the braised shoulder of lamb:

• 1 lamb shoulder (de-boned and trimmed)
• 2 onions, 1 chopped and 1 finely diced
• 2 carrots, 1 chopped and 1 finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 100ml tomato juice
• 200ml red wine
• 500ml lamb or chicken stock
• ½ celeriac, finely diced
• 1 swede, finely diced

For the potato ring:

• 2 large Maris Piper potatoes
• Potato foam
• 300g potato purée
• 75g milk
• 100g cream
• 50g butter
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the roast loin of lamb:

• 2 x 200g lamb loins

For the rosemary jus:

• 2 x sprigs rosemary finely chopped

For the savoy cabbage:

• 6 rashers streaky bacon, cut into lardons
• ½ onion, finely chopped
• ½ savoy cabbage, shredded

Method

1. Season the lamb shoulder and sear in a hot frying pan. Place the lamb in a deep casserole dish. In the same frying pan add the chopped onions, carrots and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Add the tomato puree and cook for a further 2 minutes, then add the tomato juice, red wine and stock. Bring to the boil and pour over the shoulder.
3. Cover the dish and place in a slow oven (140°C) and braise for 5 to 6 hours until the shoulder is falling apart.
4. Remove the shoulder, allow to cool a little and flake the meat or roughly chop.
5. Meanwhile, strain the cooking juice and reduce in a saucepan until well flavoured and it has a sauce consistency.
6. In a clean saucepan cook the diced carrot, onion, celeriac and swede until soft (but not pureed).
7. Add the diced shoulder and continue to cook on low heat. Add a little of the sauce to bind the lamb and vegetables together. Save the rest of the sauce to one side.
8. Thinly slice the potato lengthways with a mandolin. Wrap a length of greaseproof paper around a metal ring and then carefully arrange the potato slices onto it, securing with a piece of string.
9. Deep fry until golden brown. As the potato cooks the ring and paper should fall away allowing the potato to cook evenly on both sides whilst maintaining its shape. Drain on a piece of kitchen towel.
10. Gently heat up the potato purée with the milk, cream and butter. Season to taste. When the potato has the consistency of whipping cream place in a cream whipper and charge with the gas.

To serve

1. Season and sear the loins in a hot pan and roast for approximately 7 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking. Remove from the oven and allow to rest.
2. In a hot pan add the bacon and chopped onion and cook until the onions are soft. Add the shredded cabbage and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Place the potato ring onto the plate and half fill with the shepherd’s pie (a ramekin can be used if the potato rings are not made).
4. Arrange the cabbage in front of the shepherd’s pie and place 3 slices of lamb on top.
5. Finally, place the potato foam on top of the shoulder mix.
6. Add the chopped rosemary to the sauce and spoon a little of the jus around the lamb.

To complement this dish we recommend a bottle of Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2007 from the world-renowned Bouchard Finlayson winery in Walker Bay, South Africa.