(Yes, shepherds really dolove Shepherd’s Pie!)

3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and quartered.
1 ½ pounds of ground lamb or mutton.
1 finely chopped medium onion.
1 – 2 finely chopped carrots.
1 – 2 cloves chopped fresh garlic or 1 tablespoon prepared minced garlic.
2 tablespoons flour.
1 teaspoon dried thyme.
1 can (1398 ml) tomato sauce.
½ cup beef stock or red wine.
½ cup each frozen corn and peas or 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables.
salt and pepper to taste.
2 tablespoons melted butter.
¾ cup buttermilk.
1 ½ cups of grated sharp Cheddar cheese.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Boil the potatoes until very tender.
While the potatoes are cooking, cook the lamb or mutton in a pot until it is no longer pink.
Drain off the fat and add the onion, carrot, garlic, flour and thyme and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the tomato sauce, stock or wine, corn and peas or mixed vegetables and cook until they are heated through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Spoon this mixture into a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.

When the potatoes are cooked, drain and mash them, adding the butter, buttermilk, 1 cup of the cheese, salt and pepper.  Spread this over the lamb mixture.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake 45 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

This is a crock-pot recipe – we use a lot of those on the farm because we are often outside working for most  of the day and don’t have much time to cook dinner.  It’s wonderful to come into the house at the end of the day and smell the aroma of dinner that’s ready for us.  This is good served with biscuits or Irish wheaten bread.  (recipes also on the website.)

¾ pound boneless lean lamb or mutton stew, cut into 1 inch pieces.

1 clove finely chopped fresh garlic or 1 – 2 teaspoons of prepared minced garlic.

1 medium onion, chopped.

1 tabelspoon chili powder or more, to taste.

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 teaspoon dried oregano.  “Italian seasoning” herb mix works well, too.

¼ teaspoon salt.

2 15 oz. cans of black beans, drained.

2 14 ½ oz. cans of stewed tomatoes, with or without extras like bell peppers, onions etc.

Combine all the ingredients into a 3 ½ quart slow cooker.  Stir well, cover and cook on low for approximately 7 hours.

Although lamb chops don’t need to be marinated, this is a delicious way to cook them.  This much marinade is sufficient for approx. 8 chops or an 8 rib rack of lamb.

Ingredients:

¼ C. port.

1 tbsp. olive oil.

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary.

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard.

1 tsp. crushed garlic, or more, to taste.

Method:

Mix ingredients together and pour over lamb, coating the meat totally with the marinade.  Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight, occasionally turning lamb pieces over so the marinade can soak in from both sides.

Oven roast in an oven preheated to 425 degrees.

Rare: 22-25 minutes.

Medium rare: 25-28 minutes.

Medium: 29-30 minutes.

Turn the chops or baste a few times during cooking.

This is a recipe that was given to us by friends who worked for some years as university professors in Afghanistan.  It works equally well with ground mutton or lamb.

1 lb. ground lamb.

1 tablespoon oil.

approximately 1 cup diced onion.

1 ½ cups rice

lamb stock, plus enough water to make 3 cups.

½ teaspoon saffron (optional)

1 teaspoon each of ground cinnamon, cumin,and coriander.

½ teaspoon ground cardamom.

salt and pepper to taste.

3 medium sized carrots.

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup golden raisins.

½ cup toasted almonds. (whole or slivered)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Saute the onion in some oil and cook until it is translucent.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Add the lamb or mutton and cook until it is no longer pink.  Add 3 cups of water to the meat mixture and bring to a boil.  Drain the meat and set it aside, keeping all the liquid it was cooked in.

Measure that liquid and add enough water to make 3 cups and pour this into a cooking pot with a tight fitting lid.  Add the rice, saffron, cinnamon, coriander, cumin and cardamom.  Cover, bring to a boil and simmer 20 minutes or until the rice is tender.

In the meantime, cut the carrots up into matchstick-sized pieces and saute them with the sugar and a little bit of oil, for about 5 minutes.  Watch carefully so they don’t burn.  Add the raisins and continue to saute the mixture for a few more minutes until the raisins are plump and the carrots tender but not mushy.  Stir the toasted almonds into the mixture and set aside.

Grease a casserole dish and put a third of the rice mixture on the bottom, followed by half the meat mixture, then half the carrot mixture. Follow this by another third of the rice, the remainder of the meat, the remainder of the rice and finish these layers by putting the rest of the carrot mixture on the top.  Cover and bake 20-25 minutes.