The comforting dish par excellence, ideal to prepare in advance and serve for one person. Tender lamb in a rich gravy topped with cheese purée. What’s not to like?
Preparation:
To cook:
Level: Easy
Serves: 1
Ingredients
- 50 grams Onion, diced
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 50 grams Carrots, diced
- 30 grams Celery, diced
- 150 grams Ground lamb
- ½ cubes Beef broth
- 100 milliliters Water, to dissolve the beef cube
- 25 milliliters Red wine
- 1 tbsp Tomato puree
- 50 grams Frozen peas
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons Plain flour
- 3 strands Thyme
- 250 grams Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 15 grams Cheddar cheese, grated
Preparation
Heat a drizzle of olive oil or a few sprays of light cooking spray in a frying pan on medium-high. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes until they begin to soften.
Add the carrots and celery and sauté for another 10 minutes, lowering the heat slightly if necessary. You want the sweetness to start coming out of the vegetables and be nice and soft, but not too dark. Stir or wiggle the pan every two minutes to make sure things cook evenly.
Add the ground lamb meat to the pan and turn everything constantly to ensure that the ground meat is well ground and well mixed with the vegetables.
Dissolve the stock cube in the water. Once the mince has browned, add the broth, red wine, tomato puree, peas, bay leaf, flour and sprigs of thyme. Mix everything well then simmer gently for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, remove the meat dish from the heat and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C (355°F).
Add the potatoes to a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until cooked through. Pour the potatoes into a sieve and steam for a minute. You don’t want the potatoes to be too watery, so be sure to steam them. After about a minute, use a potato masher to mash the potatoes.
Pour the meat mixture into an individual casserole dish or an ovenproof bowl. Mine is 6 x 6 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches tall which was the perfect size. Top with potatoes and spread them out so they evenly cover the dish. Spread the cheddar on top.
Bake for 20 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned on top and the cheese is melted. Eat and enjoy!
