Ingredients
1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled
150g butter
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 sticks celery, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
600g minced beef
3 Oxo cubes
1 tsp cornflour
A glug Worcestershire sauce
Lashings of red wine
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Cut your potatoes into evenly-sized chunks, and put in a large pan of cold, salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender
- Heat the butter in a pan over a moderate heat, then add the vegetables. Soften, but do not brown
- Add the thyme, and then the beef. Brown it all over, and then add half the stock made up of the Oxo cubes and red wine
- Whisk the other half with the cornflour and then stir into the meat mixture. Add a glug of Worcestershire sauce and allow to simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes
- Drain the potatoes and mash with a generous slab of butter. Season to taste
- Taste and season the meat, adding more Worcestershire sauce if necessary. If it looks dry, pour in a little water
- Put the meat into a large baking dish and top with the potato. Dot with small pieces of butter
- Put into the oven for about 40 minutes until the potato is crisp and slightly brown, then serve
