Made a delicious shepherds pie but…

[Pleaseeterausername]

A big ‘but’ actually, because I’ve kinda ruined the delicious shepherds pie!

It truly tastes amazing but it was my first time using lamb mince and it’s swimming in fat (orange oil?!). I only used a teeny bit of olive oil to fry the veggies first, so I guess this orange oily fat has come from the lamb mince? Should I cook the lamb mince separately next time and drain it? The recipe I followed did not state to do that…

Yes

Yes drain after cooking the lamb as it’s very fatty

It depends on your tolerance to eating fat. Fat is where flavour is, so I’m tolerant of some fat but I would spoon off it I thought would be excessive

Yes, as others have said, lamb mince is very fatty, so you need to drain it

Can you blot it with kitchen paper

Oh why didn’t I come here first! So annoyed at myself - it didn’t look fatty whilst simmering. However once transferred into the dish the orange layer on top just kept getting thicker and thicker! Ok, so next time I must cook/drain separately to the veggies, then add?

@FrenchandSaunders I did :( it was like a leaky tap, just kept forming so I gave up in the end and added the mash on top. Hoped for the best, don’t get me wrong tastes great but far too much fat.

I make the meat sauce/filling, push it down with a spoon then put it in the fridge. The fat firms up so you can lift it off. Then put the mash on and bake it.

Yes.
Of course traditional Shepherds' Pie is made with the remains of Sunday roast lamb, in which case you'd just use the lean.

Otoh the fat is probably contributing to the delicious taste.

Saved me typing this out. Yep I let it go hard and spoon it off in chunks. Much easier to put the mash on top neatly as well if it's been fridged.

I have a theory that all meat and gravy based dishes taste better if they have had a day in the fridge to rest before reheating anyway.

@myplace love that!

@myplace i do the same, that way I don’t accidentally lose all the yummy juices from the meat, just the fatty residue that rises to the surface

The fatty residue makes awesome roast potatoes 🤣 Waste not want not!

Actually for next time, make the meat the day before and put it into a tall narrow pot- jug or similar. That makes the fat layer thicker and firmer, easier to remove. When you decant it into the casserole dish, it’s also easier to spread the mash on the chilled meat.

Also, if you fry the meat first you can then brown the veg in the released fat, rather than adding any oil. That should make the solidified layer after chilling more solid and easy to remove.

Lamb is really fatty. Yes, you need to fry the mince in a pan first till it browns and the fat runs, then tip the pan slightly and use a spoon or ladle to remove the fat.

add red wine- ?... i cant remember if it actually battles\dilutes\disintegrates fatty lambness or if i just recommend it with everything really..sfiveoclocksmewhere

How is it ruined if it tastes delicious?

if you chuck a bit of cornflour into the mince, it will emulsify the fat and hold it within the meaty layer

Let the cooked meat cool down and you will be able to lift off the solid fat.

If it's too fatty you may not be able to eat as much of it as you'd like without feeling sick.

If you save the lamb fat you can use it in other things. Roast potatoes, frying off veggies for soup it gives a real depth of flavour.

This!!

If it's delicious, you haven't ruined it.

If you don't have enough time to let it cool and spoon off the fat (which you should save as others have advised), take the pan off the heat and leave for 10 minutes, then blot up the fat with kitchen towel, by pressing down on top and "mopping" it up.
Also agree that shepherd's pie should be made with leftover roast lamb or google Michel Roux's (formerly Michel Roux jnr.) recipe on BBC Food and Drink for tips.

Or make it the old-fashioned way - boil the mince rather than frying it, drain the water into a container and the fat will set on the top of the water when it's cooled.