Sure it's not your 'Gordon Bleu' but when Toni comes back at t minus three weeks and wants shepherds pie even though its in the mid- thirties, then it gets made. Unfortunately she bought beef mince which means its technically cowboy pie. Traditionally you would make it using leftover roast lamb or mutton and wiggle your eyebrows lasciviously every time you said 'Shepherds Pie'.
There's no particular magic in the recipe here – just the usual ragout principle of cooking the liquids out before adding new ones. Lightly brown the mince, then add some chopped mushrooms to soak up the liquids. Add some rosemary thyme and pepper. Then cook out a good splash of leftover white wine. Add some kidney beans and a jar of tomato cooking sauce and simmer until reduced. You want to be able to eat it with a fork but at the same time have some gravy to latch onto the mash. Season to taste.
Meanwhile boil the spuds, mash and then stir in a mixture of hot milk and butter. Spoon over the top of the ragout. I just used the cast iron pan I cooked the ragout in. If you use a spoon, you can tease up little peaks like on a meringue.
Brown off in the oven.
Don't slack off on the salt – it likes it. Them's good eatin'!
FOR TRAGICS: Name that cast iron pan.
OTHER SHEPHERD'S PIE THOUGHTS: If you get Supergrass's "In it For The Money" Bonus CD there's a bit that deadpans "A year's supply of shepherd's pie" which I just really like and it makes me laugh just thinking about it.
Funnily enough, in Zappa's similarly titled "We're Only in It for the Money" there's also a deadpanned "Creamcheese". Admittedly Creamcheese isn't a pie but it does feature in cheesecake which is similar to pie. Did you know Lincoln was riding in a Kennedy?