Cottage Pie

Filling

• 30 g Unsalted butter
• 1 large Yellow onion
• 2 medium Carrot
• 4 sprigs Fresh thyme
• 500 g Minced beef
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 400 ml Beef stock
• 1 ½ tsp Fine sea salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper

Mash topping

• 900 g Yukon Gold potato
• 120 ml Whole milk

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (390°F). Peel and cut the potatoes into even chunks, then put them into a saucepan of cold salted water and bring to the boil.
2. Simmer the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes until very tender when pierced with a knife. Meanwhile, finely chop the onion and dice the carrots.
3. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and thyme, then cook for 8 to 10 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
4. Add the minced beef and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned with no pink remaining. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to take the raw edge off.
5. Pour in the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce, then bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the gravy is glossy and thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon; season with the salt and pepper, then remove the thyme sprigs.
6. Drain the potatoes well and return them to the hot pan for 1 minute to steam-dry. Mash until smooth, then mash in the milk until creamy and spreadable; season with a pinch more salt and pepper if needed.
7. Spoon the beef filling into a baking dish and level the top. Dollop the mash over the filling, spread to the edges to seal, then rough up the surface with a fork for extra browning.
8. Bake for 20 minutes until the edges are bubbling and the top is lightly browned. Rest for 5 minutes before serving so the filling settles.

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