SERVES 6-8
TAKES APPROX. 4 HOURS
Description
This rather impressive centrepiece will be sure to raise the eyebrows of your friends and loved ones. Little do they know that this dish is made from a rather thrifty cut of lamb. The scrag-end is from the neck, cooked on the bone until meltingly tender then shredded into an unctuously rich sauce. This sits in a crispy pastry case and is adorned with a golden potato lid.
A real showstopper of a meal that is sneakily, very frugal. But no one has to know that.
Method
1. Pre heat your oven to 200C/180C fan.
2. Line your pie dish with a knob of the lard ensuring you coat all the sides as well as the base.
3. Place the shortcrust pastry on to a clean, floured surface and roll out to approximately 2cm in thickness, then carefully place into the larded dish, gently pushing into the edges, don’t be sacred to stretch it slightly, as it will give. You will have a bit of an over-hang, neatly trim this off so the pastry lines just up to the edge of the pie dish.
4. Prick the pastry base with a fork a few times, this will stop it from going soggy once cooked.
5. Place in the oven for 30 minutes until lovely and golden, remove and allow to cool.
6. Set a deep pot or heavy based frying pan on a medium heat, add a small knob of lard and place the scrag end of neck pieces into the pan. Brown the lamb on all sides and set aside (you may need to do this in batches).
7. Once all the meat is browned, add in the onions and fry for 5 minutes until they begin to soften, add in the carrots and leeks and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, add in the garlic, bay leaves and rosemary sprigs at this stage, continue frying until everything is smelling fragrant.
8. Add in the flour and stock, stirring until it becomes a thick gravy consistency. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, ground coriander and smoked paprika, stir to combine well. Season with salt and pepper to taste at this stage.
9. Add the browned lamb pieces back into the pot, nestling them into the sauce as best you can.
10. Pop a lid on and place in the oven for 2 hours 30 minutes.
11. Take the pot from the oven, lift off the lid and remove the bay leaves and rosemary. Allow to cool slightly before removing the lamb, the meat should now be lovely and tender. Shred the meat off the bones (be careful as there may be a few small bones!) and place back into the sauce, along with the chopped parsley. Stir the meat into the sauce so it is all lovely and coated.
12. Once the mixture has cooled, spoon into the pastry case you baked earlier. Dot the filling with mint sauce and place the sliced potatoes neatly on top, begin from the outside-in layering the potatoes as you go. Brush the potatoes with the melted butter and place back in the oven for 40 minutes.
13. Switch the oven to grill at this stage, keep an eye on the potatoes as you only want them to become crispy and golden, approximately 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving. Take to the table for an impressive centrepiece, enjoy!
Ingredients
• 1 pack of shortcrust pastry (we used Jus-Rol)
• Lard, for lining the pie dish
• 1.5kg Lamb scrag end of neck (ask your butcher for this cut)
• 6 lambs kidneys
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 carrots, finely diced
• 1 large leek, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful of parsley, roughly chopped
• 25g plain flour
• 700ml chicken stock
• 4 tsp mint sauce
• 900g potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
• 50g butter, melted