Shepherd’s Pie with Spring Vegetables and Crunchy Salad

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 230°C. Bring a medium pot of water to the boil. Lightly grease a medium baking dish (measuring about 20 x 20cm). Prepare your pie ingredients. Cook potatoes in pot of boiling water for about 15 minutes, until tender. Drain well and return to pot with butter and milk and mash until smooth. Season to taste and cover to keep warm.
2. While potatoes cook, heat a drizzle of oil in a large fry-pan on high heat and cook lamb for about 4 minutes, breaking up lamb with wooden spoon as it cooks, until browned. Add onion, salt and eggplant and cook a further 3-4 minutes, until starting to soften.
3. Add carrot, tomato paste and lamb spices to pan and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Add wine (if using) and simmer for about 1 minute, until evaporated. Add stock and peas and simmer for about 3 minutes, until thickened. Stir through Worcestershire sauce and season to taste.
4. Pour lamb mixture into prepared dish. Use a spoon to evenly spread potatoes over mince. Sprinkle with cheese and bake (on upper-middle oven rack) for about 8 minutes. Turn oven to high grill and grill for about 2 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and golden. Watch to ensure it doesn’t burn.
5. While pie is baking, mix oil, vinegar and mustard in a large bowl. Roughly chop lettuce and thinly slice capsicum, cucumber and radishes. Add veggies to bowl with dressing, toss to combine and season to taste. Allow pie to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
6. To serve, divide shepherd’s pie with spring vegetables between plates and serve with a handful of crunchy salad.