Panang Beef Cottage Pie with Coconut Sweet Potato Mash (Thai × British)

Method

1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 3 cm chunks. Put them in a 18 cm pot, cover with cold water, bring to the boil over high heat, then lower to medium heat and cook for 15 min, until a knife slides in easily. Meanwhile finely chop the onion, cut the carrot into 5 mm dice, and remove the centre vein from the lime leaves and shred them finely.

   Add in this stepSweet potatoes 500 g

   high heat→medium heat

2. Turn on the oven to 200 °C. Drain the sweet potatoes well and leave them in the colander for 2 minutes so the steam escapes and the mash is not watery. Mash them with the butter, about a quarter of the coconut milk and the salt until smooth.

   Add in this stepButter 20 gCoconut milk (full-fat, unshaken) 75 mlSalt 2 pinch

   oven

3. Put the oil and about a fifth of the coconut milk (the thick cream from the top of the can) into a 24 cm frying pan over medium heat and let it bubble for 3 min, stirring, until it thickens and oil separates. Add the curry paste and fry for 2 min, stirring constantly, until fragrant and deep red.

   Add in this stepNeutral vegetable oil 1 tbspCoconut milk (full-fat, unshaken) 60 mlPanang curry paste 2½ tbsp

   medium heat

4. Turn the heat up to medium-high heat, add the minced beef, onion and carrot and cook for 7 min, breaking the meat up with a spatula, until no pink remains and the onion has softened.

   Add in this stepMinced beef 300 gOnion 1Carrot 1

   medium-high heat

5. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk, add the fish sauce, palm sugar and lime leaves, lower the heat to medium-low heat and simmer for 9 min, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick and only just coats the meat. A thick filling keeps the topping from sinking. Taste, adjust with fish sauce or sugar, then stir in the basil off the heat.

   Add in this stepCoconut milk (full-fat, unshaken) 165 mlFish sauce 2 tspPalm sugar (or brown sugar) 10 gMakrut lime leaves 3Thai basil leaves 10 g

   medium-low heat

6. Spoon the filling into a 20×15 cm baking dish and spread the mash on top, starting at the edges to seal it in. Rough up the surface with a fork and scatter over the peanuts. Bake in the oven for 20 min, until the top is golden and the filling bubbles at the edges. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving; the filling is very hot.

   Add in this stepRoasted unsalted peanuts, chopped 2 tbsp

   oven