Rustic lamb pie with rosemary recipe

We are in throes of winter here in South Africa and this rustic lamb pie with rosemary and a potato galette topping is the perfect comfort dish to cozy up with. It’s also a wonderful way to feed a crowd. You can make most of it in advance, allowing the meat to slowly braise while you get on doing other things. Like sipping red wine in front of a fire.

The recipe comes from my first cookbook ‘Drizzle and Dip‘ and is a favourite of mine. I have also had excellent feedback from others who have made it.

If you want to spruce it up a bit you could make a variation I did for the American magazine – Organic Gardening (now Organic Life)– where I added mint and peas at the end of the braising stage. This added a delicious and vibrant twist.

Recipe serves 6 – 8

Prep Time:20

Cook Time:2 20

Ingredients

2 kg leg of lamb meat cut into cubes
Olive oil to brown the meat
2 rashers streaky bacon
1 leek finely chopped
1 onion finely chopped
1 celery stalk finely chopped
2 carrots grated
1 cup red wine
2 – 3 garlic cloves crushed
1 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Tbsp chopped thyme
1 Tbsp chopped rosemary + 1 whole stalk with leaves on
1 x 410g tin of chopped peeled tomatoes
1 cup 250ml lamb stock
1 cup frozen peas optional

Topping:

3 potatoes thinly sliced
3 T cream
2 t melted butter
Fresh rosemary to scatter

Instructions

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb pieces in batches on all sides until the meat starts to caramelise and go brown. Set aside.
In the same pan add another splash of olive oil and fry the bacon for a minute or two, add the vegetables and cook until they soften (about 6 minutes).
Add the wine and allow the liquid to evaporate.
Put the vegetables and the meat into a large casserole/heavy-based pot. Add the tomatoes, garlic, all the herbs, and the stock, and bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and allow to gently simmer for about 2 hours (cook with a lid on for ½ an hour and then cook uncovered for the remaining 1 1/2 hours).
Check to season and add a generous sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F prior to the meat finishing cooking and prepare the potato slices for the topping.
Spread the cooked meat into a large appropriately-sized ovenproof dish.
Stir through the frozen peas if you are using them.
Peel and slice the potatoes very thinly (I find a mandolin on a narrow setting works very well), and make a layer over the meat. Brush each layer of potato with melted butter and drizzle a little cream before adding the next layer. You should be able to make 3 to 4 layers. Brush the top layer with butter and scatter over fresh rosemary, salt, and pepper.
Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and cooked through.
Serve with steamed green beans or any other vegetable of your choice.

Servings: 6

Author: Sam

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13 Comments

This sounds like the ultimate comfort food for me. Can you believe it, I have never made a Lamb Pie ! I have done various beef and chicken….so this will be a first for me…can’t wait 🙂

Awesome Lynne, you will love this. The pea and mint addition is pretty cool too. let me know how it goes.
Sam x

Hard to imagine warm comfort food at the moment whilst we are having our 5 minutes of sunshine here in southern England, but it does look quite beautiful and something to think of for the near future 🙂

Thanks Robyn, Yeah its so tricky with opposite to you guys, but Im glad you had 5 minutes of sun 🙂

This sounds so good I’m going to make it for our Friday night bridge supper.

Awesome Susie, let me know how it goes. PS I also want to play bridge, is it easy to learn?

Sounds delicious!

Hi Sam, Just to let you know I did your Rustic Lamb Pie on Thursday night, and it was absolutely DIVINE !!! I didn’t do the mint and pea addition, so will save that for next time. Thanks for an awesome recipe.

This sounds so delicious, will have to remember to try this recipe when fall comes around here!

Hi Sam. I love all of your recipes, everything looks so delicious! I want to try this lamb pie soon for a week night dinner, but want to know if the lamb portion of the recipe can be made ahead of time, like a day or so?