Cottage Pie

It was the weekend, I was stuck inside doing work, apart from an early morning bike ride and trampolining session on Saturday, but I needed something else to do other than work. So I decided it was time to use up some of my many potatoes and make a shepherd's pie (and then remembered that I use mince so actually it's a cottage pie!).

Fresh from the oven

It's a great comfort meal, and I manage to make plenty to add a few more portions to store in the freezer so I have lots of choice for meals when it comes to eating during the week and don't have much time to make a decent dinner. Plus, for my love of vegetables, it is jam-packed with them which helps bulk it out without needing too much mince. So here's how I make it.

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 big carrot
• 3 sticks celery
• 4 or 5 large mushrooms
• 150g(ish!) mince. Approximately 1/3 of a large pack of mince
• 1 heaped tbsp tomato puree
• 1 jar tomato & basil sauce
• 8 potatoes
• Knob of butter
• Salt & pepper, to taste

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add finely chopped onion and cook for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, chop up the pepper, peel and chop the carrot and add these to the pan. 
2. Rinse and chop the celery, add to the pan
   

   

   Such colourful veg

3. Chop up your mushrooms, pan.
4. Stir it all up and crumble in the mince. Stir again and cook it through.
5. Mix in the tomato puree sauce. Rinse the jar out with a little water, and add this to the pan as well. Stir it all together, season with salt and pepper, put the lid on and leave to simmer over a low heat while you sort out your potatoes.
   

   

   Time to get saucy.

6. Peel and chop potatoes. Add them to a pan and boil until soft.
7. Drain your potatoes, and mash them up with a knob of butter and season with salt & pepper. Hannah gave me a potato ricer for Christmas - now mashing them is so much easier!
   

   

   Finely puréed

   My silicone spatula being used yet again!
8. Fill your dish with the mince mix - don't worry, there may be some left over... hello bolognese or lasagne!
   

   

   Layering up

9. Pile the mash on top - take a fork for a walk and fluff it up so it looks pretty and gets some air in to it.
   

   

   Make it look pretty

10. Pop it in the oven at 200°C for half an hour, then enjoy!

This made enough for me to serve four portions, and two separate portions of bolognese - I have popped the spares in the freezer for when I need them. Serve with any vegetables of your fancy, this time I went for broccoli!

Dinner time!