Adam Byatt-inspired Cottage Pie paired with Jukes 6

Adam Byatt is one of my favourite chefs on earth, and he was also one of the very first to list Jukes 6 at his stunning Michelin-starred restaurant Trinity, in Clapham Old Town, in London. His recipes always seem to engender an extra dimension of flavour over others’, and it is these kaleidoscopic notes that work so well with the Jukes drinks. Here is my take on Adam’s cottage pie recipe, with its brilliant star anise, fragrant thyme and delicious leeks, which I think are responsible for its complex flavour! This recipe is stunning with our classic, dark red, Jukes 6. I prefer to enjoy a still water version of Jukes 6, so be sure to use our little concentrate bottles, and dilute to your perfect mix.

 

Ingredients

800g of Lean beef mince

2 Carrots – peeled and diced

1 Leek – washed and finely diced the white portion, discarding the green leaves.

3 Cloves of garlic – peeled and crushed/pressed

1 Sprig of fresh thyme – pick off the leaves

2 medium Onions - peeled and thinly sliced

Vegetable oil

2 Star anise

600ml of beef stock

4 big potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edwards are perfect), peeled and cut into chunks

100ml of Milk

30g of Butter

Sea salt

Cracked black pepper

 

Method

First, make the mashed potatoes by boiling the chunks of potatoes in salted water for approximately 15 minutes or until a sharp knife slides through a chunk without sticking.  Then strain the water, put the potatoes back into the pan with the butter and half the milk. Start mashing and slowly add the rest of the milk, along with a few pinches of sea salt and a generous grinding of black pepper. Continue mashing until the potatoes are smooth, then set them aside.

Warm a pan with a tablespoon of oil and add the onions. Cook them through slowly, allowing them to caramelise. This will take around 15 minutes, and then set them aside.  Use the empty pan a second time, adding oil and then cook the diced carrots and star anise for 10 minutes over medium heat, gently stirring to prevent the star anise from breaking. Remove from the heat. Pour two tablespoons of oil into a casserole dish, adding salt and a generous amount of cracked black pepper. Then, brown the mince over high heat, stirring gently until the colour changes from red to grey to nutty.  Then add the carrots (remove the star anise), leeks, thyme leaves, garlic, and stock. Simmer for 15 minutes and then stir in the caramelised onions. Remove from the heat and assemble the pie in a pie dish with the beef on the bottom, using the back of a fork to spread the mashed potatoes on top. You can make it look as rustic or artistic as you desire. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes at 200°C to marry all the flavours together, and serve with winter greens.