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Crispy steak-cut chips, rich shepherd’s pie filling and crunchy onions, this is proper comfort food with a bit of a twist. It’s wonderfully savoury and a brilliant way to make loaded fries into a full dinner.
Nicky’s Notes
I love a proper shepherd’s pie, but sometimes I like to serve it up a little bit differently. And sometimes I forget to buy the ingredients for the mashed potato 😳, so chips it is!
Fortunately this version is a triumph! It’s also:
- An excellent way to reduce the washing up.(especially if you use the little chequered paper-lined baskets).
- A twist that makes ‘old-fashioned food’ much more appealing to teenagers (I think I could serve them chips and lettuce at this point, and get away with it).
- A more casual dinner – great for grabbing a fork and eating in front of the TV.
Table of Contents
📋 Ingredients for Shepherd’s Pie Loaded Chips
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
The chips
Use your favourite chips or fries for this recipe. You can make your own air fryer chips or oven chips, or buy shop-bought. I really like steak chips to soak up all the gravy.
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Cook the chips until crisp. Meanwhile fry the onion, carrot and minced lamb. Add Worcestershire sauce, stock and peas, plus a little seasoning, then thicken the gravy a cornflour-water mix. Spoon the lamb mixture over the hot chips, season with salt and malt vinegar, then finish with crispy onions and pickled red cabbage.
Recipe Tips
- Brown the lamb properly for the best flavour – give it a few minutes in the pan rather than stirring constantly.
- A splash of malt vinegar works brilliantly with the rich lamb gravy and gives the whole thing a proper chip-shop feel.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItMake ahead
- You can make the lamb topping ahead of time. Cool it quickly, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days, then reheat in a saucepan until piping hot throughout. Add a small splash of stock or water if the gravy has thickened too much.
- For the best texture, cook the chips fresh just before serving and spoon the hot lamb mixture over at the last minute.
📺 Watch how to make it
Shepherd’s Pie Loaded Fries Recipe
Ingredients
- 900 g (2 lbs) thick cut steak chips – or use your favourite chips or fries Or my homemade air fryer chips recipe
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely chopped
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) minced lamb
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 100 g (3/4 cup) frozen peas I like to use petit pois, as they're smaller and sweeter and cook more quickly
- 600 ml (3 cups) beef or lamb stock (boiling water plus 3-4 stock cubes is fine)
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
To Serve:
- Salt (to taste)
- Malt vinegar (to taste)
- 2 tbsp crispy onions (see notes)
- Pickled red cabbage
Instructions
- Cook the chips/fries as per the the pack instructions.900 g (2 lbs) thick cut steak chips – or use your favourite chips or fries
- While the chips are cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.1 tbsp oil
- Add the onion and carrot and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften.1 onion, 1 medium carrot
- Add the minced lamb, turn up the heat to medium-high and cook until browned – breaking up any pieces as you go. This should take about 5-6 minutes.500 g (1.1 lbs) minced lamb
- Add the salt and pepper, the Worcestershire sauce, and stock. Stir together and bring to a simmer.1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 600 ml (3 cups) beef or lamb stock
- Add the peas, bring back to a simmer and allow to simmer for 5 minutes.100 g (3/4 cup) frozen peas
- Mix the cornflour with four tbsp of cold water and stir into the simmering lamb mixture to thicken the sauce (you may need to add a little more if you like it thicker). Leave on a gently simmer until the chips are ready.2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch in USA)
- When the chips are ready, divide between four large, shallow bowls. Season with salt and vinegar.Salt (to taste), Malt vinegar (to taste)
- Spoon the lamb mixture over the top, then sprinkle on the crispy onions and pickled red cabbage before serving.2 tbsp crispy onions, Pickled red cabbage
Video
Notes
Crispy Onions
You can buy crispy fried onions in little tubs at most supermarkets. They’re usually with the salad dressings/toppers and/or the world food section. Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, including the crispy onions.This recipe serves 4. NOTE: this is specifically when using thick-cut steak chips (which are a lot lower calorie than skinny fries or regular chips/fries).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
🍽️ More gravy-rich comfort dinners
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