Cottage Pie

Ingredients

• 600 g beef mince
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 150 g frozen peas
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 300 ml beef stock
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 kg potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 50 g butter
• 80 ml milk
• 60 g grated cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Soften the onion and carrot in the oil for 8 minutes, then brown the mince properly.
2. Tomato paste in for a minute, then the stock, Worcestershire and thyme. Simmer 20 minutes until it's thick — a wet filling makes the mash sink into it. Peas at the end.
3. Meanwhile boil the potatoes until a knife slides in with no resistance, drain them well, and let the steam come off for a minute before mashing with the butter and milk.
4. Spread the mince in a baking dish, spoon the mash over in blobs and join them up rather than trying to spread it in one go. Fork the top — the ridges are what go crunchy.
5. Cheese over, then 25 minutes at 200°C until the top is browned and the gravy is bubbling up the sides.