Nutrition and extra info
Nutrition: per serving
Ingredients
Olive oil
ol-iv oyl
Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It’s…
Onion
un-yun
Onions are endlessly versatile and an essential ingredient in countless recipes. Native to Asia…
Carrot
ka-rot
The carrot, with its distinctive bright orange colour, is one of the most versatile root…
Celery
sell-er-ee
A collection of long, thick, juicy stalks around a central, tender heart, celery ranges in…
Thyme
This popular herb grows in Europe, especially the Mediterranean, and is a member of the mint…
For the mash
Potato
po-tate-oh
The world’s favourite root vegetable, the potato comes in innumerable varieties. A member of…
Milk
mill-k
One of the most widely used ingredients, milk is often referred to as a complete food. While cow…
Butter
butt-err
Butter is made when lactic-acid producing bacteria are added to cream and churned to make an…
Cheddar
Ched-ah
Once cheddar was ‘Cheddar’, a large, hard-pressed barrel of cheese made by a particular…
Nutmeg
nut-meg
One of the most useful of spices for both sweet and savoury…
Method
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry 1¼ kg beef mince until browned – you may need to do this in batches. Set aside as it browns.
Put the other 2 tbsp olive oil into the pan, add 2 finely chopped onions, 3 chopped carrots and 3 chopped celery sticks and cook on a gentle heat until soft, about 20 mins.
Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 tbsp plain flour and 1 tbsp tomato purée, increase the heat and cook for a few mins, then return the beef to the pan.
Pour over a large glass of red wine, if using, and boil to reduce it slightly before adding the 850ml beef stock, 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, a few thyme sprigs and 2 bay leaves.
Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 mins. By this time the gravy should be thick and coating the meat. Check after about 30 mins – if a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat slightly to reduce the gravy a little. Season well, then discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
Meanwhile, make the mash. In a large saucepan, cover the 1.8kg potatoes which you've peeled and chopped, in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender.
Drain well, then allow to steam-dry for a few mins. Mash well with the 225ml milk, 25g butter, and three-quarters of the 200g strong cheddar cheese, then season with freshly grated nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
Spoon the meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
If eating straight away, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins, or until the topping is golden.
If you want to use a slow cooker, brown your mince in batches then tip into your slow cooker and stir in the vegetables, flour, purée, wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs with some seasoning. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours. Make the mash following the previous steps, and then oven cook in the same way to finish.
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