Shepherds Pie

I know from my photo that this might not look like anything special but it tastes bloody good and it's easy to make even if it takes a little over an hour from start to finish - plus the recipe requires red wine so it's a good excuse to crack open a bottle and drink the rest as an accompaniment!
Feel free to add in some carrots and celery or whatever floats your boat but I stuck with pretty basic but satisfying base of ingredients.



Serves 4


Ingredients

2 onions
500g mince beef
100g smoked bacon
2 tsp plain flour
250ml vegetable stock
150ml red wine (I used Merlot)
700g potatoes
butter
4 tbsp red pesto
25g parmesan or other cheese (I used mature cheddar)


Method

1. Preheat oven to 200c and chop the onions and bacon.
2. Cook the mince in pan until the juices start to flow and add the onions (and other vegetables if you have any) along with the chopped bacon and cook for 15 minutes.
3. Sprinkle over the flour and stir in until disappeared. Stir in the vegetable stock and wine.
4. Simmer for 30 minutes covered, stirring occasionally.
5. Cut the potatoes into chunks and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and return to the pan adding enough butter to cover the potatoes and season.
6. Stir in the pesto to the meat and spoon into a shallow ovenproof dish. Spoon over the potatoes, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes until ready.