Spiced Lamb Pie with Kumara Mash
Photography by Melanie Jenkins.
This pie is based loosely on the tasty South African dish ‘bobotie’ – a combination of lightly curried meat with dried fruit and topped with a baked egg custard. For this recipe I’ve opted for a more New Zealand-style topping of whipped kumara.
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, grated
1 medium stick of celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1-2 tablespoons mild curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons fruit chutney
600 grams lamb mince
1/3 cup sultanas or raisins
½ cup chicken stock
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Kumara mash
1 kilogram orange kumara, peeled and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
knob of butter
1 tablespoon cream or sour cream
pinch of ground cinnamon
4 x 1¼ cup-capacity ovenproof ramekins
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180˚C.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion, carrot and celery with a good pinch of salt until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic, ginger, curry powder, allspice, tomato paste and chutney and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lamb and increase the heat. Cook for 5 minutes, breaking up any lumps with a spoon. Stir in the sultanas and stock, season and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
Mash: Cook the kumara and curry powder in boiling salted water until tender. Drain well then return to the saucepan and put over a low heat to drive off the excess moisture. Mash until smooth then beat in the butter, cream and cinnamon and season well.
To assemble: Divide the lamb mixture between the dishes and pile the kumara mash over the top.
Place on an oven tray, grind over a little pepper and bake for 15-20 minutes until the filling is hot and bubbling. Serve with a salad of cooked snowpeas, cucumber and spring onions tossed with a little vinaigrette.

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