Cottage Pie With Lentils and Sweet Potato Mash Topping

Ingredients

• 500g Minced beef
• 2 onions – finely diced
• 1 carrot – grated
• 2 celery sticks – finely diced
• Glass of red wine
• Clove of garlic – crushed
• 1ltr of beef stock
• 1 heaped tbsp plain flour
• Pouch of pre cooked puy lentils
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 2 large sweet potatoes – peeled and chopped into even chunks
• 50g butter

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180’c
2. Heat a shallow oven proof pan on the hob and add the mince meat – brown well before removing the mince with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl.
3. In the same pan you seared the mince add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring well for  at least 5 minutes until cooked down and smelling delicious.
4. Add the mince back to the pan, sprinkle over the flour and stir well, cooking for 2 minutes.
5. Add the red wine, beef stock and a good pinch of salt and black pepper, stir well.
6. Place uncovered in a hot oven for 40 mins until reduced, thicken and dark.
7. Meanwhile place the sweet potatoes in a pan and cover with cold water and season well. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 mins until completely soft.
8. Drain well and allow to steam dry in a colander for five minutes before mashing well with butter – season to taste.
9. Once the mince mix is thickened and dark remove from the oven, stir in the lentils and top with the sweet potato mash.
10. Bake in the oven at 180’c for 15 minutes or 60 minutes if you’ve made the pie in advance and our cooking from cold.