Brisket cottage pie with parsnip-and-truffle mash Serves 6

‘topped In this week’s main recipe, deliciously slow-cooked brisket with the smoothest parsnip-and-truffle m ash lifts a winning dish to new heights

Ingredients

3tbspn olive oil 1tbspn plain flour 1.5kg flat beef brisket 4 peeled and sliced

cloves garlic 8 quartered baby onions 4 sprigs thyme 1 sprig rosemary 1 bay leaf 300ml red wine

450g parsnips 450g floury potatoes 100ml milk 25g butter 50ml truffle oil

4 extra-large brown onions

Method

Preheat your oven to 160˚C/300˚f/gas mark 2. Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish. Sprinkle the flour and seasoning over the brisket, then sear it on all sides in the dish. Add the garlic and baby onions and cook for a few minutes before adding the thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, red wine and seasoning. Put a lid on the casserole dish and cook in the oven for about 3–4 hours, until the meat is falling apart (cook for a further half hour if necessary).

Remove the meat and shred it using two forks. Place the casserole dish back over a high heat until the gravy reduces and thickens slightly, then remove the herbs. Transfer the gravy into a processor and blend until smooth, then return it to the casserole dish along with the meat and set aside until ready to assemble.

Peel the parsnips and potatoes and cut them into even-sized pieces. In a pan of cold, salted water, bring them to a boil, before lowering the temperature to a simmer until the vegetables are tender. Drain in a colander, then return the parsnips and potatoes to the pan. Add the milk, butter, truffle oil and seasoning. Mash together, then use a stick blender to purée. Cover and set aside.

Peel the large brown onions and cut a centimetre from the base, to make them level, and a couple of centimetres from the top. Drop the onions into boiling water and cook until soft. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and, once cool enough to handle, push out the inner layers of the onions. Taking the largest rings of onion, fill each one with brisket and top with parsnip purée. Arrange in an ovenproof dish and bake for 20 minutes before serving. Any remaining brisket and mash can be served on the side.