Cottage Pie

Remove your thyme leaves from the sprigs, finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery (this is called a mirepoix, or soffritto, for the cultured). Peel the potatoes and soak them in a pan of cold water to prevent browning. Make up your stock(s) with boiling water.

Get the mince into a cold, heavy-bottomed pan with a splash of olive oil. Add a heavy pinch of salt and black pepper and turn the heat up. Once the mince is browned, add the fresh thyme and cook for one minute. Add the vegetables, turn down the heat a tad, and sweat these off for 10 minutes. Stir every so often; don't let things stick and burn.

Stir in the flour, and cook out for 1-2 minutes. You'll be able to see a slight colour change in the beef, and you'll stop smelling raw flour. Stir in the beef stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat right down to a simmer. I like to do this with the lid off to keep an eye on the consistency as it reduces.

Meanwhile, potatoes. We're going to boil them, and then mash them. The stew is in a different recipe. Preheat your oven to 180°C (electric fan oven, adjust as suits you), and get your potatoes into a pan of cold, salted water. Set the pan over a high heat and cook for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size. They're done when a knife can slide through them with little to no resistance. Remove to a colander and allow to steam-dry.

Fill your cooking vessel with the mince -- I used some smaller pie dishes, you may want to make a family-style pie in a casserole or larger pie dish. Spoon your mashed potatoes on top. Using a fork, style the mash into a mohawk. You want to drag the potato to a point, leaving deep grooves. These will add extra surface area and lead to nice browning in the oven.