Middle Eastern Shepherd's Pie

With all the lovely fruit and vegetables from Abel & Cole, I was thinking about what I could make. I decided on a new version of an old classic: shepherd's pie. This is based on a Diana Henry recipe which appeared on "Market Kitchen" about a year ago. It has some unusual flavors which you would not associate with a shepherd's pie, but thats what really sets it apart for me. Hope you try it.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 pound of ground lamb

1 diced onion

1 clerey stick, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

400 ml chicken or lamb stock

1 orange, grated zest and juice

40g raisins

40g flaked almonds

3 tablespoons of tomato puree

2 teaspoons of tobasco

For the potato topping:

600g potatoes

3 tablespoons of milk

salt and pepper to taste

Butter

Fry diced onion, carrots and celery in oil. Add the ground lamb.

Once the lamb has browned, add the garlic and mixed spice. Cook for another minute or so.

Add the stock, the zest and juice of one orange, raisins, and tomato puree.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 45 minutes. Let the mixture reduce a bit and thicken. Add almonds. Place in a small baking dish. I use a 9x9 inch (23cm) oven dish.

Now for the crust, boil the potatoes until tender. Let them dry out a bit, then add the 3 tablespoons of milk, plus salt and pepper to taste. Mash.

Spoon out the mashed potato on top of the lamb mixture. Spread it out on top and dot with butter. Bake in a 180C/350F oven until crust is golden (about 20 minutes).