Shepherd's pie

FOOD & WINE MATCH

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Shepherd's pie

This recipe appeared in the June/July 2008 issue of Gourmet Traveller WINE.

Wine to try
2005 Trevor Jones Size 05 Grenache Merlot Cabernet, Barossa, A$17.50 (2006 current vintage)
Lamb mince is a much overlooked meat that gives a distinct, sweet, somewhat gamy flavour to any recipe that calls for minced meat. Here it’s mandatory – after all, if it was made with beef mince it would be a stockman’s pie (or cottage pie). The use of celery and carrot along with the traditional onion and garlic adds texture and helps to lighten the filling for this gutsy meat dish with its mash topping. The Trevor Jones red blend is an unusual combination. The juicy, sweet fruit flavours of the grenache are very much in harmony with the lamb mince, while the merlot adds softness and plumpness to the wine. The cabernet sauvignon component adds backbone and shape to the other, less structured red grapes. All in all, the quirky blend works wonderfully well; it’s a generous, easy-drinking red. And the size reference? Trevor Jones is a boots-and-all winemaker.

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Shepherd's pie

Serves 4

125ml	extra-virgin olive oil
2	onions – peeled and thinly sliced
2	cloves garlic – peeled and thinly sliced
4	medium-sized carrots – peeled and thinly sliced
3	celery sticks with leaves including tops – strings removed and thinly sliced
3 tbsp	flat-leaf parsley – roughly chopped
2	fresh bay leaves
1 tsp	dried oregano
1 kg	lamb mince
1 tbsp	crushed allspice berries
1 x 400g can	crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp	tomato paste
250 ml	red wine
To serve:	steamed savoy cabbage
Topping
1.25 kg	potatoes – peeled
150ml	milk
45g	unsalted butter

1	To make the filling, heat half the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and oregano and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Heat the remaining oil in the saucepan and brown the mince, stirring frequently, for 10-12 minutes. Add the allspice, tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Return the vegetable mixture to the saucepan, combine well, add about ½ cup water or enough to just cover the mixture and simmer for 45 minutes.
2	To prepare the topping, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain well and mash with the milk, 30g butter, salt and pepper.
3	Put the filling into a medium-sized (about 23cm x 31cm) ovenproof dish, top with the mashed potato and dot with remaining butter. Bake in a preheated oven at 190C for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
4	Serve with steamed savoy cabbage tossed with a little melted butter.

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RECIPE Andy Harris PHOTOGRAPHY William Meppem STYLING Andy Harris and Sabine Schmitz DRINK SUGGESTION Peter Bourne

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