This gluten-free shepherd’s pie is a complete meal by itself. It’s inspired by a recipe for shepherd’s pie I found in BBC Good Food, like to use Ras-el-hanout, a popular North African spice mix made of cinnamon, cumin and coriander seeds among others. You can drop the spice mix for a less spicier version, or replace with Garam masala (click for my recipe to make it at home) for a stronger flavour. You could also substitute the potatoes with sweet potatoes for a low-carb version.
Here’s the recipe for Shepherd’s pie:
Serves 6
Ingredients:
8 medium-sized potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 kilo minced meat (shepherd’s pie is usually made with beef, but feel free to use any other meat like lamb, pork or chicken. For vegans, shredded soya nuggets work really well)
1 large beetroot, diced
6 medium-sized carrots, diced
1 medium-sized onion, finely sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste or one tomato, diced
1 bay leaf, a small piece of star anise, a 1-centimeter-long stick of cinnamon and a small piece of nutmeg
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce or to taste
Gluten-free Ras-el-hanout spice mix
Salt and pepper to taste
A pinch of chilli powder, if desired
2 tablespoons butter
100 ml cream (replace with nut butter/coconut oil and water/soy milk if vegan)
A few sprigs of rosemary and thyme
Make it:
Heat the olive oil in a large pan and add the nutmeg, cinnamon and star anise. Add the onion and fry until transparent. Follow up with the tomato paste. Stir for a few minutes and add the minced meat.
Fry, stirring every now and then, until the meat changes color. Add the diced carrots and beetroot and top off with the Worcester sauce, Ras-el-hanout and chilli powder. Let the mixture cook until the meat and vegetables are almost cooked and still crisp. Season with salt and pepper.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
In a separate bowl, mash the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add the butter and cream and mix into a smooth, semi-solid consistency. Add more milk if the mixture is too stiff.
Transfer the cooked vegetables and minced meat into a large, oven-proof casserole. Place some rosemary and thyme sprigs on top and layer with the potato mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the potatoes turn brown.
Serve hot.