Lamb, Guinness and Potato Pie

There is something so comforting about eating a hot savoury pie. This is the perfect winter dish, suitable for a cosy Sunday lunch or as a casual dinner with friends on a chilly evening. I like to serve mine with mashed green peas and a nice glass of organic red wine.

serves 6

what you need
2 sheets frozen butter puff pastry, thawed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, diced
2 large or 4 small carrots, diced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 kg diced lamb
2 tbsp roughly chopped rosemary
2 tbsp plain flour
440ml can Guinness
1 cup (150g) peas (fresh or frozen)
6 large potatoes, chopped into evenly sized chunks
1 tbsp butter
3/4 cup (180ml) milk
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp olive oil, extra

what you do
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Grease a 28cm x 18cm (base measurement), 5cm deep
(about 8 cup capacity) pie dish. Overlap the pastry sheets slightly and press to join. Line the dish with the pastry. Lay a sheet of non-stick baking paper over the pastry, and fill with dried rice or beans, to stop the pastry rising as it cooks. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove paper and rice and bake a further 10 minutes, until lightly golden. If the pastry has puffed up, gently press it back down with a clean tea towel. Set aside to cool.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions, carrots and garlic, and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the lamb and rosemary, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and sprinkle the flour over. Cook, stirring, for one minute. Gradually add the Guinness, stirring constantly. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook a further 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large saucepan of boiling water for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and return the pan to the stove over low heat to evaporate any excess water. Add the butter, milk and salt and mash to a creamy mixture.
5. Transfer the lamb mixture to the pastry shell, and top with mashed potato. Brush with the extra olive oil and bake for 15 minutes, then place under the grill for 5 minutes, to brown the top.

GF option: Use gluten-free pastry and rice flour.

guinness is a type of beer, an Irish stout to be exact. Arthur Guinness started the St James Gate Brewery in Dublin back in 1759 and developed the beer himself. A unique feature of the beer is the burnt flavour which is derived from the use of roasted unmalted barley. Guinness is a darker colour that other ales and when poured develops a creamy head. Research has found that antioxidant compounds in the Guinness are similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables.

© Jane Grover - NAKED FOOD - the way food was meant to be