Shepherd's Pie

Peel the potatoes and cut them into even pieces of about 4 cm. Put them in a large pot with the water and a generous pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until a knife slips into a piece with no resistance. Drain well in a colander and let them steam dry for 5 minutes. Dry potatoes make fluffy, not watery, mash.

• floury potato900 g
• water2 L
• saltto taste

Chop the onion and carrots finely and crush the garlic. Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan or casserole over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and brown it, breaking it up with a spoon, for 6–8 minutes, until no pink is left and it has begun to colour. Add the onion and carrots and cook for another 6–7 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic for the last minute.

• vegetable oil1 tbsp
• minced lamb500 g
• onion1
• carrot2
• garlic2 cloves

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth, thyme, a generous pinch of salt and plenty of pepper and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20–25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the gravy is thick and clings to the meat, and not runny. A wet filling makes the potato topping sink. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

• tomato paste2 tbsp
• broth300 mL
• thyme1 tsp
• black pepperto taste

Heat the milk until it is warm. Return the drained potatoes to the dry pot and mash them with the butter, adding the warm milk a little at a time, for 4–5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. The mash should be firm enough to hold a ridge when you drag a fork across it, so do not add too much milk.

• butter50 g
• milk80 mL

Heat the oven to 200 °C. Spoon the filling into a baking dish of about 1.5 litres and let it settle. Spoon the mash on top in small dollops, spread it out to the edges so that it seals the filling and drag a fork across the surface to make ridges, which crisp and brown in the oven. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges.