Lean Chicken Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie came about in the late 1700s and early 1800s in Ireland. It was created in households as a simple yet nutritious meal that was meant to incorporate the leftovers in the house. It has since then been cooked using different kinds of mince meat and leftover vegetables in the fridge. This combination of meat and vegetables is sealed with mashed potato on top. Once in the oven a golden crispy potato covering forms and it blends in beautifully with the meat and veggies inside. I make different combinations but the two I like the most are, chicken mince with spinach and the lamb mince with carrots and celery.

You begin by cooking the meat, which is cooked on low fire in a rich bed of sliced onions, garlic, ginger and herbs. It’s cooked in olive oil which is high in omega 3 fatty acids and is therefore a heart healthy oil to cook in. The vegetables are sautéed separately and then added to the minced meat. The mashed potato contains extra virgin olive oil instead of butter! It is spooned on top of the cooked meat and vegetables which have been infused with herbs and spices and then placed in the oven. The result is a truly comforting and delicious meal. The crispy yet soft texture of the potato with the succulent minced meat and vegetables makes this dish most satisfying! In this recipe I have used free range chicken mince, frozen organic spinach leaves and sautéed Shiitake mushrooms, just because I had some in the fridge.

Serves 6 – 8

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 900 gm
2. Potatoes – 5 large
3. Frozen Spinach – 450 gm
4. Onion – 1 large chopped
5. Garlic – 6 pods
6. Ginger – 2 tbsp
7. Mushrooms – 3/4 cup
8. Rosemary – 1 tsp
9. Coarse Black Pepper – 2 tsp
10. Himalayan Salt – 2 tsp
11. Fresh red chilli – 1 chopped
12. Dried red chilli flakes – 1 tsp
13. Cayenne pepper – 1 tsp
14. Olive oil – 3 tbsp
15. Virgin olive oil – 1 tbsp
16. Free range chicken stock – 1 cup
17. Worcester sauce – 4 tsp
18. Rice flour – 1 tsp
19. Pre-heat oven to 180 C with the grill on

Method:

Mash the potato :

• Boil the potatoes
• Mash with a stainless steel masher
• Add 1 tsp himalayan salt
• Add 1 tsp black pepper
• Add 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Mix it all thoroughly into the mashed potato

Cook chicken and spinach :

• Put 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add the onion, 4 garlic pods, ginger

• Cook on low fire until soft
• Add rosemary, salt, black pepper, fresh red chilli and cook for 1 minute
• Add the chicken mince
• Add the stock with the rice flour dissolved in it
• Sauté the spinach separately in another pan with 1 garlic pod, 1 tbsp of chopped onion and 1 tbsp olive oil

• Add the cooked spinach to the chicken mince and cook on low fire for 10 mins

• Sauté the mushrooms in olive oil separately
• Add them to the chicken and spinach

Layer the Shepherd’s pie

• Then spoon the mixture into a pyrex or any baking dish and cover with the mashed potato
• Smooth and flatten the mashed potato and then with a fork make grooves
• Place the dish in the oven under the grill
• As the potato turns golden in colour you can take it out
• Let it stand for 2 minutes and then serve!