Shepherd’s pie, originally a dish made for or by shepherds, is a traditional English recipe which uses leftover lamb and potatoes. This recipe is a typical Texel version, and the ingredients can be collected on a bike trip around the island.

Ingriedients for one dish

For the mince

• 25 grams butter
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic
• 100 grams carrots, sliced thinly
• 500 grams Texel lamb mince
• A pinch of salt
• A pinch of pepper
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon Texel flour from Windmill De Traanroeier, the windmill next to Kaap Skil
• 3 dl lamb, beef or vegetable stock
• 1 g tomato puree

For the mashed potato

• 1 kilogram floury Texel potatoes
• 50 grams butter
• A pinch of salt
• Black pepper
• 2 medium-sized leeks
• 50 grams mature Texel sheep’s cheese

Method

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Heat the butter in a casserole and fry the onions, garlic and carrots in it. Remove the vegetables from the pan when they are al dente and set aside. Turn up the heat slightly and fry the mince, adding a bit more butter if necessary. Add the salt, pepper, cinnamon, thyme, flour and the vegetables you had set aside. Next, add the stock bit by bit until it is all absorbed. Lastly, add the tomato puree and leave to cook for about half an hour on a low light.

Cook the potatoes for 25 minutes until tender. Mash the cooked potatoes with a potato ricer. Add the butter to the mash, making sure the mash stays firm. Add salt and pepper to taste Slice the leek into 1-cm slices and blanch briefly.

Put the mince in a large oven dish, arrange the mashed potato on top and fill it up with the blanched leek. Finish it off with a little bit of grated cheese and place the dish in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. Wait until it has a good crust but do not let the top layer burn.

Enjoy!

More Texel recipes