Beef and Mushroom Cottage Pie

IN a large pot of salted cold water add the peeled potatoes. Bring to a boil and cook until soft, about 20 min. Drain the potatoes and mash immediately while still hot.

ADD the butter while mashing and pour in the warm cream. Mash until smooth, taste to adjust seasoning and set aside. Use plastic wrap in contact with the mash to prevent it forming a skin.

IN a large pot sauté the onion, carrot, red pepper, marrow and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil. Sauté until the vegetables are soft. Season. Remove from the pan and purée the vegetables using a hand blender or food processor. Set aside.

USING a food processor, pulse the mushrooms until they are very finely chopped. In the same pan used to cook the vegetables, sauté the mushrooms in a drizzle of olive oil until they have sweated off most of their water, about 10 to 15 min. Set aside.

AGAIN in the same pan brown the mince in two batches using a little olive oil per batch. Lightly sprinkle the flour and worcestershire sauce over the mince while it is cooking.

ONCE both batches are browned add the mushrooms and blended veggies back to the pan along with the tin of tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

PREHEAT the grill to 200˚C.

To assemble the beef and mushroom cottage pies

FILL two thirds of the ramekins with mushroom & mince mixture. Fill the top third with mashed potatoes and fluff with a fork. Place ramekins onto a baking tray and grill until the tops of the mash are golden brown.

SERVE warm with a side salad.