Shepherd's pie

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz)ground (minced) lambor lean ground beef for a cottage pie; plain, with nothing added
• 1onionfinely chopped
• 2 mediumcarrots
• 100 g (¾ cup)frozen peas
• 2 tbsptomato paste (purée)check the label for no added salt
• 300 ml (1¼ cups)wateruse water, not ready-made stock, which is usually salty
• ½ tspdried thyme or rosemaryoptional; crumble dried thyme very finely between your fingers so no hard pieces are left. Use dried rosemary only ground to a fine powder, or cooked in as a whole sprig and lifted out before serving, never as crumbled or chopped needles
• 900 g (2 lb)floury potatoesabout 4 medium
• 20 g (1½ tbsp)unsalted butteroptional; it contains milk, so use it only once your baby has had dairy on its own. Or mash with a little of the potato cooking water
• 1 tbspvegetable or olive oil

Steps

1. 1Wash your hands. Scrub the potatoes and carrots under running water and peel them. Cut away any green, damaged or sprouting parts of the potatoes and cut them into even chunks. Grate the carrots finely. Rinse and peel the onion, then chop it finely. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. 2Boil the potatoes in unsalted water for 15 to 20 minutes, until very soft.
3. 3Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-low heat and cook the onion gently for about 10 minutes, until very soft and see-through. Add the lamb and cook it, breaking it up into small crumbs with a wooden spoon, until no pink is left, about 5 to 8 minutes. Spoon off any extra fat. There's no need to rinse raw lamb; wash your hands, board and spoon after handling it.
4. 4Stir in the carrot, tomato paste, herbs and water. Simmer, partly covered, for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until the carrot is very soft and the sauce is thick. Add the peas for the last 5 minutes. The lamb should reach 160°F (71°C): check with a food thermometer. Don't add salt, stock cubes or gravy granules.
5. 5Spoon the meat into a baking dish. Drain the potatoes, saving a mug of the cooking water, and mash them with the butter (or a splash of the cooking water) until completely smooth, with no hard lumps. Spread the mash over the meat.
6. 6Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the middle is steaming hot, 165°F (74°C).
7. 7Take your baby's portion out now, before any salt or seasoning goes in, and leave off any crisp or browned bits of potato. Mash every pea in your baby's portion with a fork for a baby under 9 months, or press each pea flat from 9 months, so no whole round peas are left. Spread it on a plate to cool, stirring, and check it's only just warm before serving.