Subtle, Sweet Spices shine in this very British-Indian Fusion Dish

Mild Spice.

A hearty and delicious main that highlights the best of cultural diffusion.

Just the Recipe | 6 Servings

Stove Top and 375° Oven

Ingredients

For the Potato Topping

6 Yukon Gold Potatoes

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream or Milk

1 1/2 TBS Ghee or Butter

For the Filling

1 TBS Ghee or Oil

1 Large Yellow Onion

1 Carrot

1/2 + 1 tsp Kosher Salt

3-4 Garlic Cloves

1 TBS Curry Powder

1 tsp Ground Coriander

1 tsp Ground Cumin

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 LB Ground Lamb

1 1/2 TBS Tomato Paste

1 1/2 TBS Flour

2/3 Cup Chicken Stock

1 Bay Leaf

1 1/2 Cup Sweet Peas (frozen is fine)

Fresh Cilantro to garnish

Steps

Prepare the vegetables and spices:
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 1/2” cubes.
- Peel both the onion and carrot and dice.
- Peel the garlic and mince.
- Measure the ground spices into a bowl (cumin, coriander, curry powder, black pepper and 1 tsp salt).
Cook and mash the potatoes: Bring a large pan with salted water to a boil to cook the potatoes. Once boiling, add the cubed potatoes and cook until you can just piece the potatoes with a fork, about 15 minutes. (Once you drop in the potatoes, start the filling.) When done, drain. Add the butter (or ghee) and cream or milk to the cooked potatoes. Mash.
Make the filling:
- Heat the oil/ghee in a 12” cast iron pan. When shimmering, add the carrots, onions and 1/2 tsp of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the garlic and spices. Toast the spices by clearing a space and pouring the bowl of spices directly onto the bottom of the pan. Spread around and allow to toast for about a minute, mixing into the onion and carrot mixture.
- Add the lamb and cook, using a meat crumbler or wooden spoon to break apart the meat.
- Once the meat is cooked, add the tomato paste and sprinkle the meat with flour. Stir both into the meat and cook for about two minutes.
- Add the stock and bay leaf. Stir until well mixed. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaf and stir in the peas.
Top with mashed potatoes and bake:
- Using a spatula, smooth out the filling in the cast iron pan. Rinse the spatula clean and dry. Then, add a little bit of potatoes at a time, smoothing out as you go until you Coat the entire top of the dish with the potatoes, covering all the way to the edges of the pan.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until bubbling. The potatoes will start to soak up all the delicious curry gravy and bubbles will appear on the edges.
- If you like a browned crust, broil to finish until a crust appears.
Serve hot with a sprinkle of cilantro as a garnish. Enjoy!

#Kitchen Acumen Tips:

Variations & Substitutions:
- Swap ground beef and beef stock for lamb and chicken stock.
- Swap 2-3 large sweet potatoes for Yukon Golds. Sweet potatoes are absolutely delicious with the curry sauce.
- Dairy free: Use ghee or vegetable oil in the pan. For the mashed potatoes, instead of adding milk keep about 1/2 cup of the cooking water and use that to mash the potatoes. Or, add coconut milk. I’ve been meaning to try this, if you do let me know!
- Vegetarian: Instead of meat, add a diced zucchini + chick peas + diced yellow and orange peppers. You may want to add a little more flour as the vegetables will release more liquid.
- No Cast Iron Pan? No worries. Make the filling in any skillet. Build the dish in a casserole, coated with non-stick spray. Bake for 20+ minutes until bubbling around the edges.