I'm not a cottage/shepherd/fish pie fan, i think it's the mashed potato on the top, because unless the mash is really creamy and cheesy i don't really want to know...
My family however love it so i decided to make them one.
I call this my Kitchen Sink Cottage pie because there is everything in it apart from the kitchen sink! I basically raid my fridge and use up all my vegetables.
You can put whatever vegetables you like in it, but the more there is the more super free you are getting!!
I served mine with cabbage, and with any leftover mash potato and cabbage i made Bubble and Squeak
This dish is syn free on extra easy.
The big pot of mince made enough for 8 servings.
Preheat the oven 200c, 400f, gas mark 5
Ingredients
1 kg extra lean mince beef 5% or less
1 large onion chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
8 oz mushrooms chopped
2 carrots diced
2 courgettes diced
1 red pepper diced
1 leek sliced
2 tins tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp Worcester sauce
500 ml beef stock
1 tsp celery salt
1 tbsp of rosemary and thyme finely chopped
salt and pepper
1lb Maris piper potatoes, peeled and cooked until tender then mashed thoroughly.
Method
In a large pan, sprayed with frylight, fry the onions until soft, add the garlic and mushrooms and fry until golden, spray more frylight if needed, add the next four ingredients and fry for 4 minutes, add the herbs are fry for 1 minute to bring out the flavours, turn the heat up and add the minced beef and fry until browned, stirring constantly.
Pour in the tomatoes and stock and stir in the Worcester sauce and tomato puree, add the celery salt and season. bring to a boil then simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, if it starts to dry out, add water.
Put some of the mince into a oven proof dish and top with mashed potato, use a fork to ruffle it up, so it goes crispy. bake for 30 minutes.
