Wandering Shepherd-less Pie

Place the potatoes in a saucepan of cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes or until tender. Check that the potatoes are cooked by piercing them with a knife, if they are soft all the way through strain them and place them back in the pot. Add the milk and butter, season well with salt and pepper and then mash with a potato masher to your desired consistency.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the red onion, garlic, carrot, and capsicum, then sauté for 5 minutes or until the vegetables have sweated down. Add the lentils, Worcestershire sauce (or soy), and the red wine then cook for 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Throw in the tomato paste and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced.

Place the vegetable mixture into an oven-proof dish (or in large individual ramekins as we have), making sure you leave space for the mash! Spoon on the mash then smooth it out so that you have completely covered the filling then season with salt and pepper, grate over the parmesan, and finish it off with a drizzle of olive oil. Place the dish into the oven on the top shelf for 10 minutes or until the mash has turned golden brown.