Minced beef and onion pie with mash

A proper chip-shop-style pie at home: savoury beef and soft onions in a thick gravy, sealed in shortcrust and served with buttery mash.

Ingredients

• 500 g Beef mince
• 2 Onions, thinly sliced
• 10 ml Vegetable oil
• 15 g Plain flour
• 1 Beef stock cubes, made up with 400ml hot water
• 10 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 1 g Black pepper
• 640 g Ready-rolled shortcrust pastry, two sheets, one for the base and one for the lid
• 1 Eggs, beaten, to glaze
• 1200 g Potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 50 g Butter
• 100 ml Milk
• 300 g Frozen peas

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onions for 5 minutes until soft. Add the mince and cook, breaking it up, until browned all over.
2. Stir in the flour, then the stock, Worcestershire sauce and a good grind of pepper. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon.
3. Tip the filling into a bowl and let it cool, so it doesn't melt the pastry. Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
4. Line a pie dish (about 23cm) with one sheet of pastry, letting the edges hang over. Spoon in the cooled filling.
5. Brush the pastry rim with egg, lay the second sheet on top, press the edges together and trim. Crimp with a fork, cut a small hole in the middle for steam and brush all over with egg.
6. Bake for 35 minutes until deep golden. Let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting.
7. While the pie bakes, boil the potatoes in salted water until soft all the way through.
8. Drain the potatoes well and mash with the butter and milk until smooth.
9. Cook the peas in boiling water for 3 minutes, drain, and serve with wedges of pie and a pile of mash.