Healthy & Traditional versions of shephards pie
Being on a diet sometimes can be as much fun as getting a bikini wax. This is my findings when looking for foods that I used to love before becoming part of the diet club who quite simply can not afford the calories for hearty meals such as shepherds pie, without having to survive on soup and salad for the rest of the day.
I am a girl who likes her comfort food, mash, pies, Great British Classics, cakes, afternoon tea at the best of times so it comes as quite a shock when looking at the values in what were my favorite foods.
Today I made two versions of Shepherds pie
1. Traditional with the addition of cheesy mash, an unexpected treat in the middle, lots of vegetables in with the rich meaty gravy & topped with even more cheese to go into the oven and brown to a Divine crispness.
Dish Number 1 (the not so healthy one)
Ingredients
Shepherd's pie
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g minced lean lamb
1 large onion, finely grated
1/2 head Broccoli
1 handful frozen peas
1 large carrot, finely grated
1 large carrot cut sliced
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 pinch fresh thyme chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
250ml red wine (the kind that you would drink not cheap stuff)
300ml chicken stock
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
50g butter
2 egg yolks
4 slices extra mature cheddar cheese (Cathedral city sliced mature)
Cheddar, for grating
Parmesan, for grating
Olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190 0c
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrots into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and all the herbs and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until tender. Drain then return to the hot pan over low heat to dry out briefly. Mash with a potato masher (I prefer the oxo good grips one)
Then beat in the egg yolks, followed by about 2 tbsp grated Parmesan.
4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of a ovenproof dish. Add the slices of cheese on top of the mince, (this gives a great melted cheese surprise layer when serving!) then layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan and cheddar over and season well with pepper & salt. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown
Healthier Option
For this option I took out some of the fat & cheese & added more vegetables and used small baby potatoes that I cooked and sliced (hotpot style) to save on more calories, but still giving some of the taste.
Ingredients
Shepherd's pie
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g minced extra lean minced beef
150g frozen mini vegetables (Birds eye fresh carrot, cauliflower, peas & bean mix)
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
Rosemary, Thyme & Oregano - a pinch of each
350ml beef stock
300g small baby new potatoes
low fat cheddar for grating
Olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190 0c
2. Heat the oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and all of the herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour half of the beef stock and reduce until almost evaporated. Add the remaining stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened and can coat a spoon.
3. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling water until almost tender. Drain then whilst still hot slice (hotpot style) and set aside
4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of an ovenproof dish. layer the sliced potato over the mince & top with 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until golden.
I am a girl who likes her comfort food, mash, pies, Great British Classics, cakes, afternoon tea at the best of times so it comes as quite a shock when looking at the values in what were my favorite foods.
Today I made two versions of Shepherds pie
1. Traditional with the addition of cheesy mash, an unexpected treat in the middle, lots of vegetables in with the rich meaty gravy & topped with even more cheese to go into the oven and brown to a Divine crispness.
Dish Number 1 (the not so healthy one)
Ingredients
Shepherd's pie
2 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500g minced lean lamb
1 large onion, finely grated
1/2 head Broccoli
1 handful frozen peas
1 large carrot, finely grated
1 large carrot cut sliced
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 pinch fresh thyme chopped
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped
250ml red wine (the kind that you would drink not cheap stuff)
300ml chicken stock
1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
50g butter
2 egg yolks
4 slices extra mature cheddar cheese (Cathedral city sliced mature)
Cheddar, for grating
Parmesan, for grating
Olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 190 0c
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrots into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and all the herbs and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the red wine and reduce until almost evaporated. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of a ovenproof dish. Add the slices of cheese on top of the mince, (this gives a great melted cheese surprise layer when serving!) then layer the mashed potato generously on top of the mince, starting from the outside and working your way into the middle. Grate some extra Parmesan and cheddar over and season well with pepper & salt. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown
Healthier Option
For this option I took out some of the fat & cheese & added more vegetables and used small baby potatoes that I cooked and sliced (hotpot style) to save on more calories, but still giving some of the taste.
Ingredients
Shepherd's pie
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
300g minced extra lean minced beef
150g frozen mini vegetables (Birds eye fresh carrot, cauliflower, peas & bean mix)
1 large onion, finely grated
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp tomato puree
Rosemary, Thyme & Oregano - a pinch of each
350ml beef stock
300g small baby new potatoes
low fat cheddar for grating
Olive oil
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190 0c
2. Heat the oil in a large pan until hot. Season the mince and fry in the oil over moderate to high heat for 2-3 minutes. Stir the onions and carrot into the mince then grate the garlic in as well. Add the Worcestershire sauce, tomato puree and all of the herbs and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour half of the beef stock and reduce until almost evaporated. Add the remaining stock, bring to the boil and simmer until the sauce has thickened and can coat a spoon.
4. Spoon the mince into the bottom of an ovenproof dish. layer the sliced potato over the mince & top with 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan. Bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, until golden.
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