Beef bourguignon

Prep time: 15 min Cook time: 2 hours Total time: 2 hours 15 min 6 Serving
Beef bourguignon or bœuf bourguignon also called beef Burgundy, and boeuf à la bourguignonne, is a well known traditional French recipe.
sunflower oil: 1 tablespoon
bacon lardons: 200g
braising steaks, cut into 3cm chunks: 900g
button mushrooms: 225g
button onions: 225g
garlic, crushed: 2 cloves
sugar: 1 tablespoon
red wine: 600ml
beef consommé: 400g
cornflour, loosened with 1-2 tablespoon red wine or water: 1 tablespoon
potatoes, quartered, for the mashed potatoes: 1kg
butter, for the mashed potatoes: 50g
milk, for the mashed potatoes: 100ml
Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the bacon lardons over a high heat for several mins until well coloured. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and set aside. Season the beef, then fry in the fat left in the pan. Once coloured, add all the remaining ingredients for the beef, except the cornfl our and bacon, and bring to a simmer. Partly cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook until the beef is tender. Once cooked, tip everything into a colander set over another pan so you can catch the sauce. Tip the contents of the colander into a large pie dish. Re-boil the sauce and check for seasoning. Thicken with the loosened cornflour, adding a little at a time and stirring until you have the desired coating consistency. Spoon enough sauce over the beef to barely cover and loosen it, then stir. Remaining sauce can be frozen, ready to re-heat and offer separately on the day. While the beef is cooling, make the mash. Boil the potatoes until tender, 15-20 mins. Drain off the water and replace the lid. Shake the pan to break up the boiled potatoes. Add butter and milk a little at a time while mashing. Season. Spoon and spread the mashed potatoes on top of the cooled beef. When cold, the cottage pie is ready to cover and freeze. The day before serving, transfer the pie to the fridge to defrost overnight. On the day, reheat the pie. Heat oven to 180C/fan. If thawed, bake for 50 mins-1 hr, or until heated through, then increase heat to 200C/fan for the final 10 mins for a golden brown topping.