Nothing comforts quite like a well-made cottage pie
Nothing comforts quite like a well-made cottage pie, and we’ve got just the recipe for you. The beef mince is prepared as usual, and packed with flavour. But when it comes to the topping, don’t spend time peeling potatoes. Save your fingers and use ready-made sweet potato and pumpkin mash.
Serves 8
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 T butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks finely chopped
- 1 carrot , finely chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 kg lean beef mince
- 2 T Worcestershire sauce
- 1 T chutney
- 1 T tomato paste
- 2 cups beef stock
For the mash:
- 2 x 500 g readymade sweet potato-and-pumpkin mash tubs
- 1 T butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped chives, to serve
Method:
- Heat the olive oil and the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrot and bay leaf and sweat for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add the mince and increase the heat to high and brown the mince.
- Deglaze the pan with the Worcestershire sauce, chutney, tomato paste and beef stock.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Transfer the mince mixture to a large baking dish, cover with the readymade mash, dot with butter and bake for 30 minutes, or until the mash is crispy. Serve hot topped with chives.
Cook’s tip: No time for cooking?