The Best Lasagne

Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional bake.

Mince

In your largest frying pan, heat a little oil over a high heat. When the pan is hot, add half the mince, breaking up the big lumps quickly with a wooden spoon. Leave the mince to sizzle until the underside is browned, then stir and brown the other side. Set aside and repeat with the remaining mince.

Discard any excess fat from the pan, replace over a medium heat and add a dash of oil. Add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery, and cook, stirring for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the mince back into the pan with the tomato paste, stock, wine, tomatoes, oregano, sugar, anchovies (if using), and balsamic vinegar. Simmer gently for 25-30 minutes or until reduced to a thick sauce. Add the spinach with 5 minutes to go. Season to taste.

Cheese sauce

Melt butter in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes (don’t let it brown). Remove from heat and slowly add all the warmed milk in a thin stream, whisking all the time, until smooth. Return to heat and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add the cheese and mustard, stirring until smooth. Season to taste and remove from heat.

To assemble

Grease your largest baking dish (or two small). Add a layer of lasagne sheets to the bottom and spread over a third of the meat sauce followed by a third of the cheese sauce. Repeat until ingredients are used up, finishing with a layer of white sauce. Sprinkle with extra cheese. Cover with tinfoil with a couple of steam holes, and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and cook a further 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown and bubbling (you can grill it at the end to help it along). Transfer to a wooden board and rest for at least 10 minutes before you cut and serve it.

Serve with a fresh crunchy salad and tangy vinaigrette.