EASY COTTAGE PIE RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Trim, wash and finely slice the leek. Peel and dice the carrot, onion and celery.
  2. Heat a splash of oil in a medium pan on a medium heat, add the leek, carrot, onion and celery. Pop the lid on and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until softened. Add the lentils, stock and peas, then bring to the boil, stirring regularly. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the lentils are cooked through.
  3. For baby, remove a small amount to a blender (use a hand-held stick blender, if you prefer), or a bowl, then either blend to a purée, pulse, mash and/or finely chop depending on the stage your little one is at (for more information on stages of complementary feeding, click here).
  4. For adults, season to taste with sea salt and black pepper, then add the tomato purée. Scrub the sweet potato clean, then coarsely grate it into a bowl, toss with a little oil and a good few gratings of Parmesan.
  5. Transfer the filling to a 15cm x 20cm ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the sweet potato. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potato topping is golden and cooked through and the filling is piping hot.

Steps:

• For the base: heat half of the oil in a pan, add the onion and fry until it starts to soften, then add the garlic, celery and carrot and cook until soft. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a separate frying pan and fry the mince in batches, scooping each batch out with a slotted spoon and leave any excess oil behind.
• Add the mince to the veg, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min. Stir in the passata and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over a very low heat for 1½-2 hrs, then add the milk and cook for 30 mins.  If you're making the base ahead of time, you can leave it to cool at this stage then freeze for up to a month. (Defrost fully before using in the next step.)
• To finish the recipe, heat more oil in a pan and fry another onion until it starts to soften. Add the carrot and celery and fry until tender. Add the thyme and bay and cook for 1 min, then tip in the mince base and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 mins (take off the lid towards the end if it’s not thick enough).
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Cook the sweet potatoes in simmering water until tender, drain well, then add the milk and mash the potatoes.
• Tip the meat mixture into a casserole dish and level it out (fish out the thyme and bay and discard), then pile the potato mixture on top and spread it out. Cook for 30 mins or until the top begins to brown.