Shepherd’s pie has to be the ultimate comfort food that should only need to be eaten with a fork, preferably in a wide shallow bowl. It’s great to have one of these stashed in your freezer to help you to feed a large group at short notice. If you want to cook it from frozen, simply cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for one hour.
To make this recipe into a cottage pie, replace the lamb with beef. There are now different types of mince available in supermarkets and most butcher’s. As a general rule, the higher the price, the better quality of the meat and the lower the fat content.
If you’re lucky enough to have some leftover roast lamb or beef, it makes the best pie. Follow the instructions here but add the diced meat once the sauce has been made, as it has already been cooked, and use any leftover gravy instead of stock. I love to serve with buttered peas.
Perfect fish
People often ask me about how to cook fish, so instead of a recipe I have put a list of tips together which I hope you will find useful. And if you like a sauce with your fish, they don’t come any simpler than this one-minute wonder: once you’ve cooked the fish, quickly wipe out the pan with kitchen paper. Return the pan to a medium heat, then add a good knob of butter and swirl it until it foams. Add a sprinkling of chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley and finish with a squirt of lemon. Drizzle over the fish to serve.
This recipe is taken from Neven’s new book, Neven Maguire’s Home Economics for Life, which is published by Gill Books.
Nevin Maguire's shepherds pie.
Photo: Philip Doyle. Food stylist: Sharon Hearne Smith.
Shepherd’s pie
Serves six to eight
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
675g (1½lb) lean minced lamb
a knob of butter
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 celery sticks, diced
100g (4oz) baby button mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp tomato purée
2 tsp tomato ketchup
300ml (½ pint) white wine
25g (1oz) plain flour
300ml (½ pint) chicken or beef stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mash:
1kg (2¼lb) Rooster potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
75g (3oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
50g (2oz) butter, plus a little extra
1 Put a frying pan over a high heat and add a little of the oil. Season the minced lamb, then add it to the pan to fry in batches. Don’t cover the surface of the pan completely with meat, as adding too much will reduce the temperature of the pan and the meat won’t brown. Avoid over-stirring the mince as it fries. Leave it alone and allow it to develop a good brown colour before breaking it up with a wooden spoon and turning it over. Drain in a colander to remove any excess fat.2 Wipe out the pan, then add the butter and allow it to melt over a medium heat. Add the vegetables and thyme and season with the cinnamon and some salt and pepper. Cook for five to six minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veg are starting to soften.3 Tip in the browned lamb mince, stirring to combine, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée and ketchup. Pour in the wine and scrape up all the crusty brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, then allow the liquid to reduce by three-quarters.4 Sprinkle over the flour and cook for two to three minutes, stirring. Gradually pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for one hour, until meltingly tender. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.5 During the last half an hour of cooking time, make the mash. Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water. Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan over a low heat for two to three minutes to remove as much moisture as possible. Remove the pan from the heat, then mash with a potato masher until smooth. Beat in the cheese and butter and season to taste.6 Preheat the grill. Spoon the mince into a baking dish, then spoon the mash on top. Dot with a little more butter and grill until golden. Alternatively, leave to cool completely and store in the fridge for up to two days, then preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and cook on the bottom shelf for 45 minutes, until bubbling and brown. Serve straight to the table alongside a dish of buttered peas.
Roasted salmon with lemon and garlic.
Well-cooked fish should have a delicate crust and still be moist and quivering. If it’s cooked beyond that point it will seize up and start to harden, then go gritty. Fish is delicate and needs your full attention, but the good news is that it’s only for a very short time. Many chefs start by searing the fish fillet on one side in a frying pan, then flipping and finishing the cooking in a hot oven. The result is a nicely seared fillet that is perfectly cooked.
Sear roasting
Sear roasting works well for many types of fish, such as salmon, cod, hake and haddock. Firm-fleshed fish work brilliantly with this technique, rather than fragile fillets such as plaice and sole.
A heavy-duty ovenproof frying pan is vital to pulling off this technique, particularly to create the seared crust. It’s also vital not to crowd the pan or the fillets will end up steaming instead of searing, so it’s worth cooking in batches if necessary.
First, preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 and heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add a little oil, then add the seasoned 150g (5oz) fish fillets, presentation side down. Now leave them alone for three to four minutes, as moving them around will prevent the crust from forming. When you think it’s ready, gently lift a corner with a fish slice to see if it’s nicely browned. If it is, you’re ready to flip the fillets and put them into the oven to finish cooking. Roast in the oven for another five minutes, until just tender and cooked through. To test if your fish is cooked, make a small cut with a small sharp knife to see if the flesh has turned from translucent to opaque.
Roast
Roasting the fish will not give you the same seared crust, be it will still be delicious and can leave you free to get the other parts of your meal ready. Flavoured rapeseed or olive oil or softened butter with a little crushed garlic, some seasoning and perhaps a little lemon rind and chopped fresh herbs for extra flavour. Put each 150g (5oz) firm fish fillet on a rectangle of parchment paper on a baking sheet and smear over the oil or butter mixture. Pop in the oven for six to eight minutes, until just tender.
Pan frying
Pan-frying a fillet of plaice or sole takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. Have flour, butter, lemon wedges and hot plates ready. Put a couple tablespoons of plain flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper, mixing it with your fingers. Turn each fish fillet in the flour to coat and shake off any excess. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add a couple tablespoons of butter. As soon as it foams, add the floured fish fillets, flesh side down. Cook for two minutes, then turn over and cook for another two to three minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Transfer to the hot plates and add a squeeze of lemon to serve.
Steaming
Steaming fish is elegant in its simplicity. You will need a heat-proof plate that fits into your steamer (or use a trivet that fits into your wok or a large pan). Otherwise, bamboo steamers are very reasonable if you pick them up from an Asian supermarket. Most fish can be steamed, although I think sole, sea bass, hake, sea trout, plaice and scallops – which are possibly the nicest treat of all – work best cooked this way. First rinse the fish and dry well with kitchen paper. If you want to add some aromatics, place the fish on a bed of shredded spring onions, then sprinkle the fish lightly with a little soy sauce and perhaps a scattering of fresh ginger cut into the finest threads (julienne). Steam for eight to 12 minutes, depending on how thick the fillets are. It’s easy to check – just wiggle a knife in between the flakes and see if the fish is opaque all the way through.
Shepherd’s pie has to be the ultimate comfort food that should only need to be eaten with a fork, preferably in a wide shallow bowl. It’s great to have one of these stashed in your freezer to help you to feed a large group at short notice. If you want to cook it from frozen, simply cover with tin foil and bake in the oven for one hour.
To make this recipe into a cottage pie, replace the lamb with beef. There are now different types of mince available in supermarkets and most butcher’s. As a general rule, the higher the price, the better quality of the meat and the lower the fat content.
If you’re lucky enough to have some leftover roast lamb or beef, it makes the best pie. Follow the instructions here but add the diced meat once the sauce has been made, as it has already been cooked, and use any leftover gravy instead of stock. I love to serve with buttered peas.
Perfect fish
People often ask me about how to cook fish, so instead of a recipe I have put a list of tips together which I hope you will find useful. And if you like a sauce with your fish, they don’t come any simpler than this one-minute wonder: once you’ve cooked the fish, quickly wipe out the pan with kitchen paper. Return the pan to a medium heat, then add a good knob of butter and swirl it until it foams. Add a sprinkling of chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley and finish with a squirt of lemon. Drizzle over the fish to serve.
This recipe is taken from Neven’s new book, Neven Maguire’s Home Economics for Life, which is published by Gill Books.
Nevin Maguire's shepherds pie.
Photo: Philip Doyle. Food stylist: Sharon Hearne Smith.
Shepherd’s pie
Serves six to eight
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
675g (1½lb) lean minced lamb
a knob of butter
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
3 celery sticks, diced
100g (4oz) baby button mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp tomato purée
2 tsp tomato ketchup
300ml (½ pint) white wine
25g (1oz) plain flour
300ml (½ pint) chicken or beef stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the mash:
1kg (2¼lb) Rooster potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
75g (3oz) mature Cheddar cheese, grated
50g (2oz) butter, plus a little extra
1 Put a frying pan over a high heat and add a little of the oil. Season the minced lamb, then add it to the pan to fry in batches. Don’t cover the surface of the pan completely with meat, as adding too much will reduce the temperature of the pan and the meat won’t brown. Avoid over-stirring the mince as it fries. Leave it alone and allow it to develop a good brown colour before breaking it up with a wooden spoon and turning it over. Drain in a colander to remove any excess fat.2 Wipe out the pan, then add the butter and allow it to melt over a medium heat. Add the vegetables and thyme and season with the cinnamon and some salt and pepper. Cook for five to six minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veg are starting to soften.3 Tip in the browned lamb mince, stirring to combine, then stir in the Worcestershire sauce, tomato purée and ketchup. Pour in the wine and scrape up all the crusty brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, then allow the liquid to reduce by three-quarters.4 Sprinkle over the flour and cook for two to three minutes, stirring. Gradually pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for one hour, until meltingly tender. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.5 During the last half an hour of cooking time, make the mash. Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water. Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan over a low heat for two to three minutes to remove as much moisture as possible. Remove the pan from the heat, then mash with a potato masher until smooth. Beat in the cheese and butter and season to taste.6 Preheat the grill. Spoon the mince into a baking dish, then spoon the mash on top. Dot with a little more butter and grill until golden. Alternatively, leave to cool completely and store in the fridge for up to two days, then preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and cook on the bottom shelf for 45 minutes, until bubbling and brown. Serve straight to the table alongside a dish of buttered peas.
Roasted salmon with lemon and garlic.
Well-cooked fish should have a delicate crust and still be moist and quivering. If it’s cooked beyond that point it will seize up and start to harden, then go gritty. Fish is delicate and needs your full attention, but the good news is that it’s only for a very short time. Many chefs start by searing the fish fillet on one side in a frying pan, then flipping and finishing the cooking in a hot oven. The result is a nicely seared fillet that is perfectly cooked.
Sear roasting
Sear roasting works well for many types of fish, such as salmon, cod, hake and haddock. Firm-fleshed fish work brilliantly with this technique, rather than fragile fillets such as plaice and sole.
A heavy-duty ovenproof frying pan is vital to pulling off this technique, particularly to create the seared crust. It’s also vital not to crowd the pan or the fillets will end up steaming instead of searing, so it’s worth cooking in batches if necessary.
First, preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7 and heat an ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add a little oil, then add the seasoned 150g (5oz) fish fillets, presentation side down. Now leave them alone for three to four minutes, as moving them around will prevent the crust from forming. When you think it’s ready, gently lift a corner with a fish slice to see if it’s nicely browned. If it is, you’re ready to flip the fillets and put them into the oven to finish cooking. Roast in the oven for another five minutes, until just tender and cooked through. To test if your fish is cooked, make a small cut with a small sharp knife to see if the flesh has turned from translucent to opaque.
Roast
Roasting the fish will not give you the same seared crust, be it will still be delicious and can leave you free to get the other parts of your meal ready. Flavoured rapeseed or olive oil or softened butter with a little crushed garlic, some seasoning and perhaps a little lemon rind and chopped fresh herbs for extra flavour. Put each 150g (5oz) firm fish fillet on a rectangle of parchment paper on a baking sheet and smear over the oil or butter mixture. Pop in the oven for six to eight minutes, until just tender.
Pan frying
Pan-frying a fillet of plaice or sole takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish. Have flour, butter, lemon wedges and hot plates ready. Put a couple tablespoons of plain flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper, mixing it with your fingers. Turn each fish fillet in the flour to coat and shake off any excess. Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add a couple tablespoons of butter. As soon as it foams, add the floured fish fillets, flesh side down. Cook for two minutes, then turn over and cook for another two to three minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Transfer to the hot plates and add a squeeze of lemon to serve.
Steaming
Steaming fish is elegant in its simplicity. You will need a heat-proof plate that fits into your steamer (or use a trivet that fits into your wok or a large pan). Otherwise, bamboo steamers are very reasonable if you pick them up from an Asian supermarket. Most fish can be steamed, although I think sole, sea bass, hake, sea trout, plaice and scallops – which are possibly the nicest treat of all – work best cooked this way. First rinse the fish and dry well with kitchen paper. If you want to add some aromatics, place the fish on a bed of shredded spring onions, then sprinkle the fish lightly with a little soy sauce and perhaps a scattering of fresh ginger cut into the finest threads (julienne). Steam for eight to 12 minutes, depending on how thick the fillets are. It’s easy to check – just wiggle a knife in between the flakes and see if the fish is opaque all the way through.
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