Zero butter Shepherds's pie

Yes you see it right, this Shepherd's pie has ZERO butter, and it's equally delicious. It is so yummy that I didn't even get to have any, Aaron, Silvara, and Alia ate it all!

We started purchasing a whole lamb when we were living in Seattle, and it came with quite a bit of ground lamb. That's when I started making Shepherd's pie, I truly believe lamb makes a better Shepherd's pie than beef! When I started researching recipe, I can't believe the amount of butter I see from all the recipes. Lamb is already fatty, I am not sure there's a need to add 1/2 stick of butter in it. So this is my version, it takes a bit more time and patience, but trust me it's worth it!

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground lamb

1 small carrot

1 stalk of celery

1/2 of a middle onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 1/4 tsp of salt

dash of black pepper

2 5-inch sprigs fresh rosemary

1 Tsp tomato paste

2/3 cup of chicken stock

1 Tsp of flour

3 yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into chunks, 4-6 per potato

1/3 cup of 2% milk

1/2 tsp of salt, pinch of pepper

In a small food processor, add carrot, celery, onion, and garlic, puree the vegetable.

Use an oven proof skillet or a cast iron pot, turn the stove on to medium high heat, add the ground lamb in the pot, and then add the pureed vegetables in there.

You might be confused at this point, why is the meat in there with the vege without any oil?

Before we get to that, let's pause and bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat, this is for the potato.

Now going back to the lamb, lamb itself has a lot of fat, so there's really no need to add more oil to it. But with the pureed vege there's a lot of liquid that we need to cook out of in order for the meat to start to brown. Basically you need to be standing next to the pot for the next 12-14 minutes, keep the stove at medium high heat, cook the lamb and the vege. Stir when needed, the goal is to cook the liquid away so the meat and vege can start to brown. When you are about half way there, add the tomato paste, rosemary, salt, and pepper.

Now is a good time to heat the oven to 375 degrees.

At the same time, pay attention to the pot of water. Add potatoes to boiling water and boil for about 20 minutes. If a fork can go through it's ready.

After 12-14 minutes, the liquid should be all gone and you should start to see some browning at the bottom of the pot.

The browning part is where you develop the depth of flavor. Now add in the flour and chicken stock, continue to cook but turn the stove down to medium low. You should see the ground lamb turning saucy, remove the stalk from the rosemary, turn the stove off, and congratulations you are almost there!

Now finish making the mashed potato. I am not a mashed potato expert, so I typically just add milk, salt, and pepper. Occasionally I will add butter, cream, and/or cheese but today I am keeping it simple and as low fat as possible. Feel free to change it up and do whatever works for your family.

Top the meat mixture with the mashed potatoes then spread them out over the top. Transfer the cast iron pot to the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the edges are bubbling and potato begins to brown. Remove from oven and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Slice it up and enjoy!