I love Cottage Pie and Shephards pie. But a slow-cooked version of them leads to much, much softer mince and makes the house smell awesome all day
Out of convenience, this recipe uses a couple of Shepherds Pie spice sachets - you can make the mix up using herbs and flour if you'd prefer. One thing to note though, is that you should under-provision the water - unlike cooking in the oven, the sauce won't reduce down in a slow cooker, so it needs to be about the right consistency from the outset.
Unlike when you cook it in the oven, the top of the potato doesn't crisp up (you can put it under the grill for a bit if you'll miss that), but the edge of the potato layer does.
If you're feeling adventurous you can also add mixed beans to this, or outright swap the lamb for Beef and make a Cottage pie instead.
I really don't like fish, but I'm in a serious minority in my family. Fish Pie is quite quick and easy to make, and doesn't really need any taste-tests along the way
I think the idea of adding peas to the mash was originally Jamie Oliver's, but I may be misattributing
Basically: Bangers and Mash, as a pie
This meal can easily be prepared in advance (just add 15 minutes to the cooking time if you're pulling it out of the fridge), and doesn't require too much prep (the majority of the time really, is waiting for the spuds to boil)
You don't need to use the best, most expensive sausages, as they're being cooked in other flavours, but try not to go with the absolute cheapest either as they tend to be a pain to cook
Easily my wife's favourite, I've always preferred Cottage pie to Shepherds pie for some reason. Usually makes enough to serve 4 people, though if you're used to smaller portions than me you may get more out of it.
NB: Most of the alcohol boils off, leaving just the flavour