Recipe | Comforting little casseroles

Tender spiced meat topped with cheesy mash... What’s not to like?

Makes 4 portions
600g stewing beef, cubed
50g butter
Olive oil, for frying
3 onions, finely chopped
1 bottle of dark beer
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1⁄2 tsp ground ginger
1 bay leaf
1 thick slice of ginger loaf (about 50g)
1.25kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
150–200ml hot milk
50g butter
2 egg yolks
125g mature cheddar cheese, grated
Fresh nutmeg, for grating

1 Season the beef and set aside for 5 mins. Heat the butter and a splash of oil in a heavy-based pan and sear the meat for 3–5 mins, turning, until browned. You will need to do this
in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2 Fry the onions in the same pan for 10 mins, until golden. Add the beer, vinegar, mustard, ground ginger and bay. Crumble in the ginger loaf and return the meat to the pan. Bring to the boil, cover and turn the heat down as low as you can. Cook for about 2 hrs, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender. You might need to add more liquid, or reduce the liquid at the end.
3 Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pan of salted boiling water for 20–25 mins. Drain and mash with the milk and butter. Mix in the yolks and half of the grated cheese, then season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
4 Season the meat to taste, and divide among 4 mini casserole dishes. Top with the mash and remaining cheese.
5 To eat at once, bake in an oven preheated to 200C/Fan 180C/400F for 10 mins, until the cheese has melted. For a crisp, golden crust, brown under the grill for the last few mins.

TO FREEZE AND REHEAT
Wrap, dish and all, in freezerproof clingfilm or put in freezer bags, and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw, unwrap and reheat for 20–25 mins in an oven preheated to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Reheat from frozen for 45–60 mins at the same temperature.

Turn to page 46 of February's The Simple Things for more meals for one. It does take time, but when you’re done, you’ll have a wealth of comfort food to squirrel away.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

More comfort food recipes:

More from the February issue:

Recipes: Three ways with coffee

So much more than a liquid caffeine fix, roasted ground beans will enhance all kinds of recipes

Beef in espresso and stout sauce with hasselback potatoes

Serves 4

To make the hasselback potatoes:

1. Prepare 12 small potatoes by finely slicing 2mm slices almost through but not quite to the bottom. 
2. Rub cut potatoes with 25g softened butter, 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika, finely grated zest of 1 lemon and two generous pinches of coarse sea salt.
3. Arrange on a baking tray and roast in a hot oven (200C/Fan 180C/375F) for about 40 mins until brown and crispy.
4. Set cooked potatoes aside to add to the top of the finished casserole. 

To make the casserole:

1. Marinate 750g chuck steak, cut into chunks, in 35ml freshly made espresso, for min 4hrs.
2. Melt 30g butter in a large pan and brown 125g cubed, smoked bacon.
3. Transfer bacon into a casserole with a slotted spoon. In the buttery bacon fat, lightly brown 250g whole, peeled baby shallots and transfer to casserole.
4. Toss the marinated beef in 30g seasoned plain flour, shake off excess and brown in the same pan before transferring to casserole.
5. Deglaze the pan with a slosh of stout (from 330ml bottle) and add this, with any scrapings, to the casserole.
6. Add remaining stout and a bouquet garni (homemade or tea bag), season and bring to the boil on the stovetop.
7. Cover and place in a low oven (120C/Fan 100C/250F) for 1½hrs.
8. Brown 250g button mushrooms in a little butter and add to the casserole for a further hr of cooking (2½hrs total), until the meat is tender.

VOLCANO MARTINI 

Makes 1. 
To give your martini a hint of vanilla, add the seeds from a vanilla pod to 240ml cold-brewed coffee and leave to infuse overnight (or you could just add or drop or two of vanilla essence per martini). 
Combine 50ml vodka and 30ml vanilla-infused cold-brewed coffee in a lidded container, such a cocktail mixer. 
Add 10–25ml condensed milk, to taste; shake and double strain into a chilled martini glass. 
Dust with grated dark chocolate and serve. 

ESPRESSO MILLIONAIRE’S SHORTBREAD

Makes 24 squares. 
Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. 
Line a 33x23cm shallow tin with parchment. 
Put 210g melted butter, 110g caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp salt, 260g plain flour and 2 tbsp ground espresso coffee into a food processor and blitz to form a paste-like ball of dough. 
Press evenly into prepared tin and bake for 25-30mins until firm. W
hen cool, spread over contents of a 400g can of dulce de leche; set aside. 
To make the ganache, chunk 200g dark chocolate and 75g white chocolate into a bowl with 2 tsp sunflower oil. 
Put 200ml cream with 2 tsp ground espresso coffee into a pan over a medium heat. 
Heat until just before it bubbles, then remove from heat and strain through a sieve into the chocolate and oil. 
Leave for 1 min, then whisk gently to combine until smooth. Pour over caramel and smooth with palette knife. 
Leave somewhere cool (not the fridge) to set, then cut into squares.

Recipes courtesy of Volcano Coffee Works (www.volcanocoffeeworks.com), a small batch speciality coffee roaster