Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• diced
• 2 carrots
• diced
• 1 garlic clove
• crushed
• 250g/9oz beef mince
• 1 x 410g/14½oz tin baked beans
• 1 x 400g/14oz tin tomatoes
• 400ml/14fl oz stock
• made from stock cube (ideally beef but chicken or vegetable is fine)
• 900g/2lb potatoes
• chopped into equal size pieces
• 100ml/3½fl oz milk
• 50g/1¾oz butter
• salt and black pepper

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
• Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the oil. Once hot
• fry the onions and carrots gently with a pinch of salt for 6-7 minutes
• or until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for another two minutes.
• Add the mince and stir to mix. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until all the raw meat has turned brown. Add the baked beans
• tomatoes and stock. Simmer the mixture for 30-40 minutes without a lid to allow the mix to reduce and thicken a little.
• Once cooked
• pour into a medium sized baking dish about 21x27cm/8x11in. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary. Leave to cool and then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes - this will prevent the mashed potato sinking into it too much.
• Meanwhile boil the potatoes in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 15 minutes until tender. Remove and drain
• leaving to steam dry in the colander for 3-4 minutes.
• Heat the milk and butter together in the pan you used to cook the potatoes
• until the butter is melted. Once the potatoes are dried a little
• place back into the saucepan and mash with a potato masher until smooth
• mixing well with the butter and milk. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
• Layer the mashed potato on top of the meat base in the baking dish and bake in the preheated oven to 25-30 minutes
• or until bubbling and the potato top is golden-brown.