This is a simple lamb stew to which I then applied a puff pastry lid for the last 45 minutes of cooking to create a pot pie. Normally it's best to use the fattier lamb shoulder for such a dish, but you can use large chunks of a topside mini roast to create a lower fat alternative.
What you need:
2 tablespoons plain flour
Salt & pepper
500g lamb topside mini roast available at MM Fresh.
50g butter
1 onion, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into pieces twice the size of your lamb cubes
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped as above
2 carrots (ensure your volume of vegetables matches that of your lamb or adjust the ratio according to your preferences for meat & veg), as above
1 pint of beef or lamb stock
2 tablespoons Marsala wine (or port/red wine)
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
10g fresh parley, finely chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180c.
Grind a little salt and pepper into the flour. Cut your lamb into large cubes then toss it in the flour.
Melt your butter in a large casserole dish and cook the onion for around 5 minutes until soft. Add the lamb and brown the meat.
Once the meat is browned, add the stock, Marsala, potatoes and vegetables. Ensure the liquid covers everything. If it doesn't, add a little water.
Add the rosemary and bring to the boil. Season, then transfer to the oven with a lid on for 1 hour.
Remove the pan from the oven, and take off the lid. Paint the edges of the casserole pan with beaten egg, and apply a large puff pastry sheet on top and fold down the edges. Paint the sheet with egg ensuring there are no puddles, or it might sink/break. Bake again at 180c for around 45 minutes until the top is puffed up and golden.
There never seems to be enough pastry to go around, so I used a another sheet of puff pastry and cut circles out of it (or you could just cut squares for zero wastage) and placed them on a greased baking tray, also painting them with egg. I baked these for around 20 minutes until puffed up and golden. These were a real hit with the kids!
When you serve your pie, scatter with fresh parsley on top.
Serves a family of 4.