Masterclass – Spicy Shepherds Pie

The first time I had shepherds pie was in 2004 in the UK.  It was horrid at the first try as I found it too bland. Indians are generally used to spice and I am in the extreme end of that number line. However I had a lot of time to cultivate my taste for it and then modify it to my preference.

Let me begin  with a confession. Forgive me for I have sinned.  Shepherds pie is generally lamb mince but unfortunately I did not have it during the lockdown.. I did have chicken though.  I separated the bones from the meat, minced it and was ready for the base.

Here’s a spiced version of the shepherds pie inspired by Jamie Oliver. I liked the use of garam masala for that added Indian touch.

So here goes

Lets Make Shepherd Pie !!

Ingredients

1. Meat – Your choice actually but I went with 1/2 kg chicken mince
2. Potatoes – 5 nos
3. Garam Masala powder 1 tsp
4. Black salt
5. Cumin Poder – 1 tsp
6. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
7. Pink Salt
8. onions – 1 cup finely diced
9. Coriander Leaves – The more the merrier
10. Grated Beetroot J- Half cup of it adds a rather nice color
11. Tomatoes –  I used about 6 ripe ones
12. Frozen Peas
13. Chicken stock – Guess where the bones went in after being separated from the piece? I made about a litre.
14. Green Chillies – I used only 2 but you can use more if you want the bite
15. Ginger Garic Paste – As usual the homemade way is the best but its not a show stopper.
16. Any drink of your choice – This time it was White wine

Lets Start

1. Take a sip of the wine
2. Keep the potatoes for boiling. Mine was a quick opos (one pot one shot) way of cutting the potatoes in half, a half cup of chicken stock and 4 potatoes for 8-9 whistles in a 2l pressure cooker. Add some salt for the flavor.
3. Add about 2 tbsp of  any oil of your choice (I use seed oils more often and this time it was groundnut oil) to a saucepan and let it get hot. Add in the ginger garlic paste, green chillies and sliced onions till your nose is literally on the pan trying to get in.  Don’t drool, go have the wine to keep it all in.  Now add the minced chicken and stir stir stir till everything is mixed well. Add in the  powders mentioned in the ingredients along with a lack and pink slat. The black salt give an interesting flavor but its not mandatory. If you dont have it, it’s perfectly fine.. Add the tomatoes and the beetroot and a little of the stock. Stir again and cover for about 10-15 mins.   You deserve a sip now
4. Till this is happening peel the potatoes, grate them into a large bowl, put some butter, milk, salt and pepper and mash them till you get a nice silky consistency.   Good job, reward yourself
5. Go back to the saucepan and watch it boiling away.. Don’t take your nose too close, safety is important. Chicken cooks pretty fast anyways and a mince is even faster… Remove the cover and let it cook till its a little thick.
6.  Load that into a baking bowl and put a layer of mashed potatoes till its evenly coated. Now this is where Jamie Oliver’s video rocks, take a fork and slightly fluff up the potatoes so it forms peaks.. These form the crunchy bits and bobs after the baking
7. Preheat the oven to 210 Degree Celsius and once its ready chuck it into the oven for 30 minutes.   You can enjoy the wine till it gets ready and enjoy more with the shepherds pie

Keep checking the salt at every stage..TASTE, TASTE, TASTE !!

Let me know how that turned out