Cottage Pie

Wash the celery and carrots thoroughly and cut them into small cubes. Peel and finely dice the onions and garlic.

Brown the ground beef in a large, deep skillet until brown and crumbly. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Spread oil in the pan, add carrots, celery and onions and sauté with a generous pinch of salt over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes until soft.

Increase the heat slightly, add the garlic, flour, and tomato paste, and sauté for a few minutes. Return the ground beef to the pan.

Deglaze with red wine and let it simmer briefly until the alcohol has evaporated. Add beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Add bay leaf and thyme sprig, cover partially, and simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened nicely.

After 20 minutes, drain the lentils and add them to the pan. Let the ground meat mixture simmer, covered, over low heat for another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, halve or quarter them, place them in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat slightly and simmer the potatoes for about 15 minutes with the lid partially closed, until they are tender.

Drain the potatoes, let them steam briefly, and press them through a potato ricer. Mix the mashed potatoes with milk, butter, and cheese, and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) for conventional oven settings or 200°C (390°F) for fan-forced oven settings. Remove the thyme and bay leaf from the ground meat pan, then transfer the ground meat to a casserole dish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top with a spoon.

Bake the cottage pie in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the surface has a golden brown color.