There were several reasons to cook this tonight. First of all, we have a lot of fresh vegetables in the garden, and Malcolm requested plain cabbage, no messing with stir fries or salad, just lightly boiled, seasoned and buttered. Next, we had some lamb in the freezer, and I wanted to test out a new mincer. Also, we have some lovely potatoes coming in, the crop we are eating just now is Arran Pilot, and I wanted to see how well they mashed. They mashed very well indeed.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp oil (I used olive oil)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, in small chunks
- 500g lean minced lamb
- 500ml lamb or beef stock
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 900g potatoes, peeled and cut into pieces
- 75g – 85g butter
- milk, to achieve consistency
- salt and pepper, to taste
METHOD:
- Heat the oil in a large pan, and when it is hot, add the onion and carrots, and cook over a medium heat until the onion is softening
- Add the minced lamb, and turn the heat up, browning the mince
- Add the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce and stock, and bring to a simmer.
- Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, then uncover and simmer another 20 minutes to reduce the liquid. Season to taste with pepper and salt, if required.
- Boil the chopped potatoes in salted water, and drain. Mash with the butter, and a little milk to make a soft smooth mash.
- Add the mince to an oven-proof dish, and then put the mashed potatoes on top, using a fork to make patterns that will crisp up in the oven.
- At this point, the pie can be frozen or put in the fridge for cooking later
- To cook the pie, bake for around 30 minutes. Leave to stand a few minutes before serving.
To cook the cabbage, I cut it into wedges, cooked it for around 5 minutes in boiling water, then I poured the water off, and added salt, pepper and butter.