Pork & Thyme Mince with Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients

400g pork mince
1 leek
2 celery sticks
2 carrots
200g chestnut mushrooms
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
400ml passata
A handful of thyme, leaves only
1 chicken stock cube
1kg potatoes
1 green cabbage
90g butter
100ml double cream
½ tbsp olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp water (optional)

Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 1 hr 10 mins-6 hrs 10 mins

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Method

1. Warm a large frying pan or wok over a medium-high heat for 2 mins, then add ½ tbsp olive oil and the pork mince. Fry, stirring every so often to break up any lumps, for 8-10 mins till the mince is browned all over.

2. While the pork mince fries, trim the root and top 3cm off the top of the leek. Halve it and rinse out any grit, then finely slice it. Trim the dry ends off the celery sticks and finely slice them. Trim and peel the carrots. Dice them. Thickly slice the mushrooms. From this point, follow the method for the slow cooker or the hob.

3. In the slow cooker: Scoop the mince out of the frying pan and add to a 3½ ltr slow cooker. Tip in all the chopped veg.

4. Peel and crush the garlic. Pick the thyme leaves off their sprigs (if you have a fine mesh sieve, push the sprigs through the holes – the leaves will collect in the sieve and you can discard the woody stalks). Add the garlic and most of the thyme to the slow cooker (keep a pinch of leaves back for garnishing).

5. Crumble in the stock cube. Measure out 1 tbsp Worcester sauce and add that. Pour in the passata. Season with salt and pepper. Pop on the lid and cook on medium for 6 hrs, or quick cook on high for 4 hrs or slow on low for 8 hrs.

6. When the mince has around 45 mins left to go, put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Peel and chop the potatoes. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes. Bring back to the boil, then turn the heat down a little and simmer for 10 mins.

7. While the potatoes simmer, shred the cabbage, discarding any really thick bits of core. When the potatoes have cooked for 10 mins, add the cabbage to the pan and simmer for 5-10 mins till the potatoes are soft and the cabbage is tender.

8. Drain the veg and tip them back into the pan. Add the butter, the double cream and a pinch of salt. Mash together till combined. Taste the pork mince and add a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Scoop the mash onto warm plates. Ladle over the pork and thyme mince. Garnish with the remaining thyme leaves and serve.

9. On the hob: Scoop the mince out of the frying pan and pop on a plate. Tip all the chopped veg into the frying pan and add 2 tbsp water. Season with salt and pepper and fry, stirring often, for 5-10 mins till the veg start to soften and pick up a little colour.

10. While the veg fry, peel and crush the garlic. Pick the thyme leaves off their sprigs (if you have a fine mesh sieve, push the sprigs through the holes – the leaves will collect in the sieve and you can discard the woody stalks). Add the garlic and most of the thyme to the pan (keep a pinch back for garnishing). Stir the pork mince back in.

11. Crumble in the stock cube. Measure out 1 tbsp Worcester sauce and add that. Pour in the passata. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 45 mins, stirring every so often.

12. While the mince simmers, put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Peel and chop the potatoes. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes. Bring back to the boil, then turn the heat down a little and simmer for 10 mins.

13. While the potatoes simmer, shred the cabbage, discarding any really thick bits of core. When the potatoes have cooked for 10 mins, add the cabbage to the pan and simmer for 5-10 mins till the potatoes are soft and the cabbage is tender.

14. Drain the veg and tip them back into the pan. Add the butter, the double cream and a pinch of salt. Mash together till combined. Taste the pork mince and add a little more salt and pepper if you think it needs it. Scoop the mash onto warm plates. Ladle over the pork and thyme mince. Garnish with the remaining thyme leaves.