Beef & Sweet Potato Cottage Pie

• 600 gbeef mince, 15–20% fat
• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 300 mlbeef stock, hot
• 2carrots, finely diced
• 2 tbsptomato puree
• 200 gfrozen peas
• 2onions, finely diced
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
• 1 kgsweet potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
• 3 tbspwhole milk
• 40 gunsalted butter
• 2celery sticks, finely diced
• 100 gdried green or brown lentils, rinsed
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 10 gchives, snipped (optional)

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Pat the mince dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. 2Heat a large ovenproof pan over high heat. Brown the mince in two batches for 3–4 minutes each until well coloured. Lift out, leaving about a tablespoon of rendered fat in the pan, and drain off any excess.
3. 3Lower the heat to medium and cook the onions, carrots and celery in the remaining fat for 6–8 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, tomato purée and thyme and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
4. 4Return the mince to the pan. Add the Worcestershire sauce and hot beef stock, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in the lentils, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 30–35 minutes until the lentils are nearly tender, adding a splash of water if the filling starts to dry out. Stir through the frozen peas; the lentils finish cooking under the mash.
5. 5Meanwhile, cook the sweet potatoes in a large pan of well-salted boiling water for 12–15 minutes, until a knife slides through with no resistance. Drain thoroughly and let them steam-dry in the colander for a minute; wet potatoes make a sloppy topping. Mash smooth with the butter and milk, then season with salt until the mash tastes properly of itself.
6. 6Spoon the mash over the filling and spread evenly right to the edges, sealing the gravy in. Drag a fork across the surface in long ridges; those peaks are what crisp into golden tips in the oven.
7. 7Bake for 25–30 minutes until the topping is burnished gold and the filling bubbles thickly around the rim. Rest for 5 minutes off the heat so the gravy settles and the slices hold their shape.
8. 8Serve onto warm plates with black pepper and the optional chopped chives if using.

Per serving

kcal

578

protein

27.7g

fibre

9.1g

carbs

58g

fat

27.2g