Wild Beef Bolognese

This is comfort cooking at its best. Wild Beef Mince has a depth that carries a long, slow simmer, the ragù turning rich and glossy the longer it sits on the heat.

• 500 grams Wild Beef mince
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 150 milliliters red wine
• 800 grams crushed tomatoes
• 250 milliliters beef stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 0.5 teaspoons black pepper
• 400 grams spaghetti
• 40 grams parmesan, grated, to serve

Soften the base. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan over medium heat. Add 1 diced onion, 1 diced carrot and 2 diced celery stalks and cook gently until soft and sweet, about 8 minutes. Add 3 crushed garlic cloves and cook 1 minute more.

Brown the beef fast. Turn the heat up. Add 500g Wild Beef mince and break it up, browning quickly. Wild beef is lean and renders little fat, so don't crowd it or cook it long past colour or it will dry out.

Build the sauce. Stir in 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Pour in 150ml red wine and let it bubble down by half, scraping the pan.

Simmer low and slow. Add 800g crushed tomatoes, 250ml beef stock, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then drop the heat as low as it will go. Simmer uncovered, stirring now and then, for about an hour until rich and thick. The long low simmer is what tenderises the lean meat.

Cook the pasta and serve. Cook 400g spaghetti until al dente. Fish out the bay leaves, then fold a little pasta water through the ragù to loosen. Serve over the spaghetti with grated parmesan.

• The filling must be thick before it goes under the potato — if it's too wet, the pie will be sloppy. Simmer it down until it barely moves when you tilt the pan.
• A little grated parmesan stirred through the potato adds a nice savoury edge.
• Leftovers reheat well — cover with foil at 160°C for 20 minutes so the potato doesn't dry out.