I don’t normally advocate for mise en place preparation, but this recipe is really helped by it. Peel and chop your onions, carrots (see note), celery, garlic and potatoes, and measure and prep your seasonings so they’re ready to go. Add one tablespoon oil to large stockpot and heat over medium-high. Once hot, add meat. Season with a dash of salt and pepper and brown the meat, then drain in colander and set aside.
Add remaining tablespoon oil to pot and add your mirepoix – onions, carrots and celery – stirring to coat. Season with a dash of salt and pepper and cook until onions are translucent, about 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, place potatoes in medium saucepan and cover with cool salted water. Bring to a boil and cook 7-10 minutes, until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain and return potatoes to their pot. Reduce heat to low and add butter, mashing well to ensure potatoes are well coated in butter. They should be fluffy. Add remaining topping ingredients, mix well and keep warm.
Reduce heat on mirepoix to medium. Add a tablespoon of butter, then add flour and garlic and stir to coat. When garlic is fragrant and flour is golden, after about 1 minute, and browned beef back into the pot, as well as Worcestershire and wine. Add all remaining seasonings (thyme, parsley, bay leaf, sugar and remaining salt and pepper) and stir. Cook about 3 minutes, allowing the alcohol to cook off.
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Now, add beef broth and tomato paste to mirepoix and give it a good stir. Simmer over medium-low for 20 minutes to allow flavors to meld and liquid to reduce. If it starts to reduce too quickly, reduce heat or add a little water (see note). Taste the mixture and add more salt, pepper or sugar as desired. Add peas and cook 5 minutes more, picking out thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
Grease a pie pan with butter or cooking spray and pour in the beef mixture. Press in and level with spatula. Add potatoes one heaping spoonful at a time, taking care not to move topping around much once placed on beef mixture. If desired, texture topping with fork or spoon to create a little crunch.
Place a foil-lined pan under the pie plate to catch any liquid bubbling over and bake your pie for 20-25 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Then, if desired, place your pie on the top rack and broil on high for about 5 minutes to get those lovely crunchy bits on the top. Remove from oven when your pie’s tips are brown and crispy and let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting into wedges like the delicious savory pie it is.