This is so easy to do and there are so many variations of what can be added that I'm only going to do my basic recipe. If you like garlic...add more garlic. If you like heat...add a bit of chilli. Mushrooms, leftover beans or peas...anything of that nature lurking in the fridge (well maybe not the Actimel but, hey ho, if you're feeling brave...go for it!).
First get the spuds on. Anything floury will do as they have got to be mashed. Our staple is usually Maris Piper because they're good for mash and roasties but today I'm using Maris Piper with a few Whites left over from Sunday. For quantity I go by eye but, as a rough guide, peel and cut the potatoes and put them in the dish you plan to use. Cover the bottom of the dish and then do two or three more. I always do too much mash as it keeps well in the fridge and can be added to your next batch or used for fishcakes etc. In our house it rarely lasts a day as cold cheesy mash is a family favourite...isn't it, Sam?
I always get the potatoes on first because they need to be mashed whilst hot and tackling cold spuds is hard work! Once mashed (using a lot of elbow grease, a lot of butter and a little milk or cream...whatever's handy) I add a pinch of salt and white pepper to taste...lots for me but that's my preference, I bung in a good handful of mature cheddar and a teaspoon or two of English mustard...Bang on!! Oh and by the way...there's nothing worse than lumpy mash. I always slightly overcook the potatoes until they start to fall apart, drain them, put the colander back on the pan and cover with the lid. Let them steam and drain dry for a few minutes until you mash them...works perfectly every time.
While the potatoes are cooking it's time to get on with the rest of the pie.
First off you need to prepare your meat. Whether it's leftover lamb or minced from the supermarket or butcher's it needs to come out of the fridge for half an hour or so. This is just to bring it closer to room temperature so it is easier to cook properly. For the leftover meat just get it all off the bone and finely dice it. It takes a while but dicing rather than mincing or blitzing it retains a nice bit of texture in the finished pie.
Next roughly chop one large (or two small) onions, a carrot and a stick of celery. What you're aiming for is about an equal quantity of each although I prefer about half as much onion again but it's a personal thing. You don't need to finely chop or anything like that. The vegetables will soften completely during cooking and, after all, this is easy comfort food not Michelin Star stuff! If you watch as many cheffy shows as I do you will recognise this as a 'mirepoix'...the Holy Trinity of any stew, casserole or ragout type of thing.
Soften the vegetables, in a pan big enough to hold all the ingredients, in a little oil. I use olive oil but whatever you have (not sump oil) is fine. After a couple of minutes I add a clove or two of garlic just because we like it. If you don't like it then leave it out. More than two will probably be a bit overpowering but this is YOUR meal not mine! Oh and Arthur, when I pop yours and Jen's round later, there is absolutely NO garlic whatsoever in the corner you're having!
When the vegetables are soft I add, in no particular order; a tin of tomatoes, a good lug of red wine, the meat, a little chopped fresh or dried rosemary (or thyme...or both) and about an equal quantity of water to tomatoes...enough just to rinse the tin out ready for recycling, really! At this point add anything else you want to use up as mentioned previously. If you're using leftover meat which has been cooked already just bung it in. Fresh mince will need to be browned in a separate pan first.
Basically, the longer you can leave this cooking the better the finished pie filling will be. I bring mine to the boil and then simmer for a good 90 minutes but you'll get away with 45 minutes to an hour. The hardest part's done so get it on the stove and leave it cooking while you have a glass of vino collapso or a beer. You're looking for a gloopy, only slightly wet finished product. Too wet and it will leach out over the side of the dish when you top it off with the mash. Too dry and it will be just that...dry! If it looks too dry just add a bit of water and cook for about 15 minutes on a low heat. If it's too wet then take the lid off and up the heat until it looks about right.
When it is cooked, turn the heat off and let it cool a bit. It's easier to handle when cooler.
When cool, two thirds fill your casserole dish with the meat sauce. Using a wooden spoon, transfer the cheesy, mustardy mash on top. I then use a palette knife to smooth it over and then a fork to make some lines in the mash. This isn't so much to make it look good but to raise some of the mash to get a bit burnt in the oven to make it yummy. This can either be cooked there and then or left for a day or two in the fridge to let the flavours develop.
We're having ours tomorrow as Wendywoo had a Pizza Express lunch with the girls from work and their boss and only fancies a snack.
To serve I'll sprinkle the top with a handful of parmesan cheese and bake in a 180* oven for about 30 minutes until the top is golden brown with melted cheese and little burnt bits of potato...probably with some spring greens we didn't use at the weekend.
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