by Lorraine Gibson.

January days and long nights cry out for a cheering plate of comfort food.
Why not try this easy recipe for a warming cottage pie topped with delicious slices of sweet potato in place of the usual mash?
Not only do you get the familiar hearty filling, but an orange ‘lid’ that embraces the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!

Cottage pie with sweet potato
Prep time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
500g British beef mince
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced 1 Oxo Beef stock cube
1 tbsp tomato purée
11/2 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 thyme sprigs
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled 1 tbsp unsalted butter.

Method
1 Heat 1⁄2 tbsp oil in a large pan or casserole dish over a high heat. Add the beef and fry for 4-5 minutes, until browned. Remove from pan, add remaining 1⁄2 tbsp oil, lower the heat to medium and fry the onion, celery and carrot with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes, until softened. Meanwhile, mix the stock cube with 500ml boiled water.
2 Return the beef to the pan, add the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, then stir in the flour and fry for 1 minute more. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce and 2 thyme sprigs and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice the potatoes and put in a bowl. Cover with boiled water; set aside. Drain and use kitchen paper to pat dry, then lay out on more kitchen paper to finish drying.
3 Preheat the oven to 200oC, gas mark 6. Melt the butter. Tip the beef and gravy into a medium ovenproof dish. Toss the potatoes with the butter and leaves from the remaining thyme sprig. Season and arrange over the beef. Bake for 30 minutes.
Cook’s tip
Scatter grated cheddar over the potatoes halfway through baking to give the pie a nice cheesy crust. Recipe & pic: WAITROSE