Crispy breadcrumbed sweetbreads bring an interesting twist to this comforting shepherd’s pie recipe.
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Ingredients
- ½ lamb shoulder (about 1kg), bone-in
- 800g lamb mince
- 500g onions, finely sliced
- 1 star anise
- Vegetable oil to fry and deep-fry
- 300g carrots, finely sliced
- 400g mushrooms, finely sliced
- 500ml good-quality fresh lamb stock or chicken stock
- 3 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- 1.5kg potatoes, cut into chunks
- 125g butter
- 50ml milk
- Good grating of fresh nutmeg
- ½ tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 6 lamb sweetbreads, membranes trimmed and prepared (ask your butcher to do this)
- 125g panko breadcrumbs (from Sainsbury’s and Tesco) or regular dried breadcrumbs to coat
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Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Put the lamb shoulder in a roasting tray, season and roast for 75-90 minutes until tender but pink. Set aside. Turn off the oven.
- Heat a large heavy-based sauté pan over a high heat and fry the lamb mince in small batches until browned all over. Drain in a colander, reserving the fat.
- Use a little of the reserved lamb fat to cook the onions with the star anise over a low heat for 10-15 minutes until they turn a rich golden brown. Remove from the pan and set aside. Use a little more of the fat (or a splash of vegetable oil if there isn’t much left) to cook the carrots over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove and add to the onions.
- Use a little of the fat or some oil to cook the mushrooms over a high heat for 5-7 minutes until tender and golden. Return the lamb mince, onions and carrots to the pan and pour over the stock. Simmer for around 1 hour until the lamb is tender and the sauce is rich. Discard the star anise and leave to stand for 15 minutes.
- Add the herbs, then taste and season. Mix the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce and sherry vinegar together in a small bowl. Add a little of the hot mince mixture to help it to combine, then stir it all back into the mince mixture. Put it all in a casserole and leave to cool.
- Dice the cooled lamb shoulder, then stir through the mince mix. Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender, drain, then mash with the butter, milk, nutmeg and wholegrain mustard. Season well.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Cover the cooled pie filling with the mash, then bake for 45 minutes until it starts to colour. (Alternatively, divide the mixture among 6 individual pie dishes/ovenproof pans, top with mash, then bake for 30 minutes.)
- Meanwhile roll the sweetbreads through the breadcrumbs. Heat 5-6cm vegetable oil in a pan to 180°C (when a cube of bread fries in 30 seconds). Fry the sweetbreads until the crumbs are crisp and golden, then serve with the pie and steamed, buttered savoy cabbage.
Nutrition
- 1031kcals Calories
- 53.2g (25.1g saturated) Fat
- 65.9g Protein
- 67.2g (11.5g sugars) Carbs
- 9.2g Fibre
- 2.2g Salt
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