photo: Shepherd's Pie, Level 5 plate
Shepherd's Pie
5The family’s version
- Ground lamb or beef in gravy
- Peas & carrots
- Mashed potato crust
The Level 5 version
- 150 g cooked ground meat from the family pie
- 120 g mashed potatoes, extra moist
- 80 g cooked carrots, finely diced
- 150 ml thick gravy
- Knob of butter
Convert it
- Make the family shepherd's pie as usual, simmering the meat until completely tender.
- Check the mince size: pieces no larger than 4 mm — they should fit between the prongs of a fork. Chop further if needed.
- Fold the mince through enough thick gravy that every piece is coated and nothing runs thin on the plate.
- Mash the carrots to soft 4 mm pieces; skip the peas for this plate — skins are hard to manage at Level 5.
- Layer mince, carrots, and extra-moist mash. Fork pressure test: every component squashes easily with light pressure.
EquipmentFork for testing, potato masher
SLP tipGravy is the binder that makes Level 5 work — when in doubt, add more and thicken it properly.
Before serving: run the fork pressure test on the finished plate. Recipes guide you to a texture — only the test confirms it.