Shepherd’s Pie with Lambs Fry
Love a good Shepherd’s Pie in Winter. This one is jam packed with nutrients with the addition of lambs fry (lambs liver). We often hear about all the foods we should be cutting out, but there is less focus around what we should be adding in to optimise your diet. Liver is your BEST source of literally every nutrient, apart from a few water soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C found in fruit and vegetables.
A 100g serve of beef liver provides :
Note: Lambs fry has a similar macro and micronutrient profile. Also, 100g is a very large serve, you don’t need this much as it is so concentrated with nutrients, I recommend eating 50g in a serve.
Vitamin B12: 3,460% of the RDI. Important for healthy brain function and for the formation of red blood cells ad DNA. Symptoms of low Vitamin B12 are: nerve issues, tiredness, gastrointestinal issues, depression, memory loss & behavioural changes.
Vitamin A: 860–1,100% of the RDI. Vitamin A is important for normal vision, immune function and reproduction. It also helps organs like the heart and kidneys function properly (3). Note: There are some concerns over Vitamin A toxicity due to it being a fat soluble nutrient (stored in body unlike water soluble Vit B & C etc) over dose has only been reported with supplements and research shows reported incidences of vitamin A toxicity are quite rare, with fewer than 10 cases per year from 1976 to 1987[2]. Bottom line: Eat real food and don’t take supplements because social media or a sales rep says you should.
Riboflavin (B2): 210–260% of the RDI.
Folate (B9): 65% of the RDI. Essential to growth and repaid and formation of DNA.
Iron: 80% of the RDI, or 35% for women of menstruating age.
Copper: 1,620% of the RDI. An essential co-factor for energy production, iron metabolism and brain function.
Choline: Choline is important for brain development and liver function.
Reference nutrient values: www.healthline.com
So this is why I add liver once a week to one of our meals! 😉
SHEPHERD’S PIE WITH LAMBS LIVER
Ingredients
olive oil, for cooking
500g pack lamb mince
250g lamb’s liver (or chicken livers)
500ml beef stock (I make bulk and store in freezer)
2 onions, finely chopped
2 carrots
2 celery
2 bay leaf
3 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Potato Mash
1 kg Agria Potatoes
150ml full fat, unhomogenised milk
50g butter
1/2 cup grated cheese
Handful finely chopped parsley
Fry the mince for 10 mins or until well browned. Add finely chopped liver and cook until changes colour. Tip the mince and liver into a bowl.
Add the vegetables and herbs to pan, season and soften for 10 mins. Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, mince, liver and stock. Cover and simmer until the sauce is rich and the meat tender.
Boil the potatoes to begin the mash topping. Once potatoes are tender, drain water and add milk and butter. Mash until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and parsley.
Transfer mince, liver & veggies to baking dish and top with mashed potato. Grate cheese on top and bake for approx 30 minutes until golden on top.
Serve with in season veggies. Load up half your plate with greens like silverbeet and green peas.
Enjoy!
Image: https://www.bbc.com/food/recipes/shepherdspie_2077