COTTAGE GARDEN PIE

A cottage or shepherd’s pie has always been a family favourite down the generations. My recipe has evolved to include way more veg than my mum used to put in hers – hence the name. I’m delighted to say this version still meets with everyone’s approval. The meat and lentil sauce is versatile and easily turned into a bolognese (add extra passata and omit the worcestershire sauce) or into a chilli (add chilli powder, to taste, to the browned meat and two 400g tins of kidney beans towards the end of simmering).

SERVES 5-6

★ oil or fat for cooking

★ 300g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped

★ 400g beef mince

★ 2 onions, finely chopped

★ 3 medium carrots, scrubbed or peeled and finely chopped

★ 2 celery sticks, finely chopped

★ 2 garlic cloves, chopped

★ 200ml tomato passata

★ 400g tin puy, brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed, or 250g pre-cooked lentils

★ 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

★ sea salt and black pepper

For the topping ★

about 600g potatoes, scrubbed and cut into large chunks

★ 300g celeriac, peeled, or jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed, cut into large chunks

★ 50g butter

★ 75ml milk

★ handful of parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped

★ 1 tsp dijon mustard

★ 2 tbsp capers (optional)

1 Heat a little of the oil or fat in a large saucepan or sauté pan over a fairly high heat. Add half the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and fry ‘hard’ until they release their juices. Continue until the mushrooms have turned goldenbrown and their juices have evaporated. Tip into a large bowl. Repeat with the rest of the mushrooms and a little more oil or fat, then add to the first lot. 2 Add a little more oil or fat to the pan then brown the mince well, in two batches. F ry over a fairly high heat, breaking up the mince with a spatula as you go and driving off any moisture. Once each batch is browned, add it to the bowl with the mushrooms.

3 Reduce the heat to mediumlow. Heat a little more oil or fat in the pan and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Sweat over a medium-low heat, stirring, for 10 minutes or until softened.

4 Return the mushrooms and mince to the pan. Add the passata with a splash of water and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until rich and saucy, stirring occasionally and adding a splash more water if needed.

5 Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 190C/170cfan/gas 5 and make the topping. Put the potatoes and celeriac (or artichokes) in a large pan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes until tender. 6 Stir the lentils and worcestershire sauce into the mushroom and mince mix. Check the seasoning then transfer to an ovenproof dish and spread evenly. 7 D rain the potatoes and celeriac (or artichokes) in a colander and leave to steam-dry for a few minutes. Add the butter and milk to the still hot pan then tip in the veg. Use a potato masher to crush them to a rough mash. Mix in the parsley and mustard, as well as the capers, if using.

8 Spoon the mash evenly over the beef filling, roughly forking it to the edges of the dish. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling up around the edges. Serve with peas and/or wilted spinach or kale.