麻豆社

by Mary Berry from Mary Berry鈥檚 Everyday (麻豆社 Books)

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Such an everyday classic, but I have used venison for a change.听 Minced venison is easy to buy, & gives a richer colour & flavour to the meat sauce, but you could use minced beef instead or half beef & half venison.听 Maris Piper, King Edward or Desir茅e potatoes are all perfect for mashing.

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Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 2 hrs + cooling

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Serves 6-8

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Ingredients

2 tbsp oil

6 rashers smoked streaky bacon, chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

Leaves from 2 sprigs of rosemary, chopped

600g (1lb 5oz) minced venison

1 heaped tbsp plain flour

300ml (10fl oz) red wine

500ml (18fl oz) beef or game stock

salt & freshly ground black pepper

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For the mash

1kg (2lb 3oz) floury potatoes, peeled & cut into 2cm chunks

A knob of butter

A splash milk

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Method

You will need a 1.5 litre (2.5 pint) wide based ovenproof dish, greased.

Heat the oil in a large deep, flameproof casserole dish or saucepan. Add the bacon & fry over a high heat for 3-4 mins or until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon & set aside.听 Tip in the onion, carrot & rosemary & fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the mince & stir over the heat for 3-4 minutes or until golden-brown, using 2 spoons to break up into smaller pieces.

Sprinkle in the flour & cook for a minute, stirring. Gradually stir in the wine & then boil for a few minutes to reduce by half. Pour in the stock & bring back up to the boil.听 Return the bacon to the pan, season with salt & pepper & allow to bubble, stirring continuously for 5 minutes. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat & simmer for about 40 minutes or until tender.

Spoon the mince into the ovenproof dish & set aside to cool down completely (see tip).

Preheat the oven 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6 and make the topping.

Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for about 15 minutes until tender. Drain, add the butter & milk, season with salt & pepper & mash until smooth (see tip).

Spoon the mash on top of the cold mince, level the top & rough the surface with the back of a fork, making a pattern, if you like. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until golden & bubbling.

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Top Tips

Can be prepared & assembled up to a day ahead, ready to cook.

The mince can be made 1-2 days ahead & stored in the fridge.

The cooked mince can be frozen, ideally without the mash on top as it sometimes does not freeze well.

It is important for the mince to be cold before adding the mash; if it is hot, the mash will not be able to spread across the top properly & will mix in with the mince.听 By contrast, the mash spreads better when it鈥檚 warm.