1 Preheat the oven. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an ovenproof casserole with a tight-fitting lid and brown the meat all over. Work in batches. Spoon out and sauté the onion, carrot and celery until the vegetables soften and start to brown. Add a little more oil, if necessary.
2 Add the tomato paste, garlic and spices and continue cooking for another 3–4 minutes. Add the plum tomatoes and half a tin of water to the pot. Roughly mash the tomatoes with an egg lifter or fork.
3 Return the pork to the pot, cover and bake for 1 hour.
4 While the meat is cooking, prepare the mash. Boil the sweet potatoes in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes). Drain, return the sweet potato to the pot and dry-fry for a few more minutes. Add the butter to the pot and season with salt and nutmeg. Add the crème fraîche and mash everything together; it doesn’t have to be completely smooth (the consistency is up to you).
Remember The more crème fraîche and butter you add, the softer the texture of the mash will be in the pie.
5 Remove the meat from the oven. Top with the sweet potato mash and sprinkle with Parmesan and sage leaves. Bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with peas.
Tips
* The gravy is rich and meaty but if you want a thicker consistency, simply reduce it on the stovetop before adding the mash topping or use corn flour as a thickener. Mix a heaped tablespoon of corn flour with a little bit of gravy and stir into the pot before adding the topping and putting the pie back in the oven.
* Up your veg intake by adding mushrooms or peas to the filling.
