Italian Cottage Pie

This is my take on what I imagine an Italian version of cottage pie should be: good wholesome Italian flavours topped with the ultimate Italian comfort food ... gnocchi.

Ingredients

1 medium onion

1 fat clove of garlic

Olive oil

140g pancetta or streaky bacon, diced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

500g lean lamb mince

200g chestnut mushrooms, chopped

100ml red wine

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

700g fresh gnocchi

50g Parmesan cheese

Method

• Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic, then set aside.

• Add a dash of oil to a large saucepan on a medium heat, fry the pancetta/bacon for a few minutes until starting to crisp up, then add in the oregano. Stir this around for a minute then add in the onion and garlic and cook gently until softened but not coloured.

• Add the lamb mince to the saucepan and stir around until browned. Add in the chopped mushrooms and red wine, turn up the heat to full and bring to the boil. Add the chopped tomatoes, then half fill the tin with tap water and add it to the pot. Bring back to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Keep simmering without a lid for 40–45 minutes, skimming off any froth that might appear on top.

• With a few minutes of the cooking time left preheat the oven to 200ºC.

• Cook the gnocchi according to the packet’s instructions, drain and set aside. Once the lamb is cooked, pour the saucepan contents into an ovenproof dish and top with the gnocchi. Grate over the Parmesan cheese and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and bubbling.