Lasagne with Rosemary Potatoes and Baby Leaf Salad


The Bolognese sauce for this lasagne was made the night before as part of a batch for the freezer and the all in one cheese sauce made this a reasonably quick dinner.  The Rosemary potatoes added a nice crunch and salad leaves straight from the garden made it all seem very healthy.

Ingredients

For the Bolognese

5oog lean minced beef
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, finely diced
100g smoked bacon, chopped
50g Chorizo, diced
4 chestnut mushrooms, finely diced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
10 fl oz red wine
2 tbsp tomato purée, mixed with 10 fl oz water
Bouquet garni, made with bay leaf, sprig of thyme, sprig of marjoram, 1 sage leaf and parsley

Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, gently cook for 5 minutes then add the garlic, carrot and celery, cook for a further 2 minutes.  Stirring occasionally.

Add the bacon and chorizo and cook for a couple more minutes before adding the minced beef.  Stir until the minced beef is browned then add the mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring continuously.

Add the wine, tomatoes, bouquet garni and tomato purée, bring to a gentle simmer and cook, with a lid on, for 21/2-3 hours.

Rosemary Potatoes

200g new potatoes, boiled in salted water for 10-15 minutes then cut into small chunks
2 tbsp olive oil
3 sprigs Rosemary, leaves only, finely chopped

Place the potatoes in a small roasting tin, drizzle over the oil add sprinkle on the chopped Rosemary, mix well.
Cook at the same time as the lasagne for the last 40 mins of cooking but on a lower shelf.

For the sauce

1 litre whole milk
50g butter
60g plain flour
Freshly grated nutmeg
50g cheddar cheese + extra for grating on top
25g grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Place the milk, butter and flour in a large saucepan, over a medium heat and cook, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens.  Cook for 2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and stir in the grated nutmeg (around 1/2 a nut).  Add the grated cheddar and Parmesan and stir until melted.

Remove the bouquet garni.

Pre-heat the oven to 190C / 375F / gas 5

Add 1/2 the Bolognese to the base of a lasagne dish, drizzle over a couple of ladles of the cheese sauce and lay 4 sheets of lasagne (dried pre-cooked is fine) over the sauce.  Repeat with the remaining Bolognese sauce 2 more ladles of cheese sauce and another 4 sheets of lasagne.  Finish with the remaining cheese sauce and some grated cheddar.  Cook in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes until the pasta is tender and the top is golden.