Chris Mapp Tickled Trout lamb shank shepherd’s pie recipe

We associate Spring, Mother’s Day and Easter with lamb. But this year’s lamb is at its best from June.

At the restaurant we are currently using hogget, which is a grown-up lamb, between one and two years old.

My go-to meal with the family are comfort foods like cottage pies, pasta bakes and roast dinners on a Sunday, but I love a shepherd’s pie. It brings back feelings of nostalgia, remembering my mum’s one.

So, not to giver secrets away, I have tinkered and am using lamb shanks instead of mince, you could always combine them if you like.

Remember, it’s always best to brine your meats and the shanks can be brined over night or for 24 hours for the best results – that’s 100g salt per litre of water.

Boil this to make a solution with some garlic cloves, peppercorns, thyme rosemary and bay leaf and allow to cool before submerging the shanks.

The result is extra flavour, extra tender meat and it makes such a difference to the end product.

Lamb Shank Shepherd’s Pie

INGREDIENTS

4 lamb shanks

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled diced

1 celery stick, diced

Small bunch of thyme and rosemary

4 cloves garlic

2 bay leaves

250ml red wine

2 large potatoes, baked in the skins (do this when the lamb is cooking)

METHOD

Seal shanks all over in a large pan in a little rapeseed oil and some salt until golden brown all over remove from the pan and leave to one side, now add the chopped vegetables and roast in the fats for a couple of minutes trying not to colour it too much.

Add the wine, reduce by half, add the shanks back in and cover with water. If you have a slow cooker, this will be perfect now to transfer to that and cook for 8hrs, otherwise put a lid on the pan and cook on a very low heat for 6-8hrs until the meat is about to fall off the bone.

Carefully lift the shanks out of the liquid onto a tray and when cool enough, pick the meat from the bone removing any sinew, fat or tendons. Leave to one side.

Add 500ml of tomato juice or passata to the cooking liquid and reduce until thickened, allow to cool and then combine the lamb shanks back into it and make sure they are nicely mixed together, transfer to a casserole or pirex dish.

Whilst the lamb shanks are cooking, bake the jacket potatoes, once softened after about 1h30, scoop out the potato and mash it with a large knob of butter and some warm double cream until silky smooth and season to taste.

Pipe or layer the mash onto the lamb mixture, scatter some grated cheddar on top and bake until it is bubbling up the side and the cheese is golden, make sure it is piping hot before serving!