Meat mains
Beef and lentil cottage pie
A classic beef cottage pie, with the twist of using lentils as a frugal way to bulk up the meat and get more portions out of a smaller amount of meat. The pie can be frozen whole or in individual servings, once the topping is on but before the final bake. Serve with a pile of greens, whichever are in season. Try other toppings instead of potatoes; mixed mashed roots, sweet potato or cooked and mashed cauliflower. Pork mince can be used instead of beef, aka a Swineherd’s pie.
Cook's notes
Ideally, leave the mince and lentil mixture to cool before topping it with the mash, this will help prevent the mixture bubbling up over the topping.
Ingredients
- oil for frying e.g. sunflower or light olive
- 400g beef mince
- 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 1 celery stick, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed
- a small glass (125ml) of red wine (or use more stock)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 300ml beef or chicken stock, plus a little extra if needed (or use water)
- leaves from 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
- 1 bay leaf
- 100g dark speckled (puy style) lentils, rinsed and drained
- 1kg potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2-3cm dice
- a good knob or two of butter
- a splash of milk
- small piece of cheddar, grated (optional)
- salt and pepper
Method
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Step 1
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy-based pan and fry the mince to brown it all over. Transfer the meat to a bowl.
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Step 2
Add a splash more oil, the onion, carrot and celery to the pan. Fry gently for 10 minutes. Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
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Step 3
Return the mince to the pan. Add the wine, tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce and stir. Cook for 2 minutes.
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Step 4
Add the stock, thyme, bay leaf and lentils. Bring up to a low boil and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the lentils are just tender and the sauce has reduced. You may need a little more stock or water towards the end. You want a sloppy, but not too wet a consistency.
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Step 5
While the lentils cook, boil the potatoes (or root veg) in a pan of well-salted water until soft (12-15 minutes), then drain, leave in the colander for 2 minutes for excess water to evaporate, then mash with butter and a splash of milk, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
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Step 6
Remove the bay leaf from the lentils once cooked and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish. Spread over the mash to evenly cover the mince, spiking it up with a fork (this helps it crisp up).
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Step 7
Sprinkle with the cheese if using. Bake at 200°C until the topping is golden (20-25 minutes).
