Shepherd's Pie

I mostly think of shepherd's pie as pub food, but apparently it was a(nother) occasional family dish as well.  In any case, I figured a hearty combo of lamb, potatoes, and some veggies was worth a try.  Courtesy of my Best Meat Recipes cookbook:

The Recipe

Filling
3+ lbs lamb shoulder chops, cut away from bone and into 1 in pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4 in slices
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 1/4 c chicken broth
1/4 c red wine
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp thyme, chopped
1 tsp rosemary, chopped
1 c frozen peas, thawed

Topping
2+ lbs russet potatoes, cut into 1-2 in cubes
6 tbsp butter
3/4 c milk
2 egg yolks

salt & pepper

Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper.  Heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high and brown the lamb (probably in 2 batches, extra 1 tbsp oil per batch).  Remove lamb to a bowl.

Reduce heat to medium and cook the onion and carrot until (onions are) soft.  Add the garlic, flour, and tomato paste.  A minute later, broth, wine, and Worcestershire, then the thyme and rosemary.  Cover and simmer until the lamb is tender, 25-30 minutes.  Then stir in the peas.

Meanwhile, get the topping going - cover the potatoes in water, sprinkle salt, and bring to a boil.  Once potatoes are tender (15-20 minutes), drain and return the pot to low heat.  Mash in the butter, milk, and egg yolks.  Season with salt and pepper.

Now you combine everything in a large baking dish or (a couple) pie plates.  Pour in the lamb mixture.  Drop gloops of potatoes around the edges, sealing in the filling.  Bake at 400 degrees until the top is golden brown, about 20-30 minutes.

Notes

This dish went over well.  It was a good bit of work, but fed a decently-sized group, several of whom helped prepare.  We went heavy on the herbs (although maybe not on salt & pepper), and also used Chipotle Tabasco sauce instead of Worcestershire in the spirit of using what was on hand.  I personally was not sure it was much better than the sum of its parts.  I would do it again, though; not sure it's worth the effort in smaller, more personal quantities.