By Sunday I was well enough to desire something other to eat than Heinz tomato soup and toast, and I was craving something to make me feel a bit better. So inspired by watching several episodes of Saint Jamie Oliver I decided to make a Cottage Pie.
I didn't just want any old cottage pie though, I wanted a low GI pie, packed with vegetables, strong tasting, satisfying and hearty.
This is what I came up with. I loved the orange and green mash - it livened up the dish a lot.
Ingredients
Lean
minced beef
1
leek 2 onions
4 cloves of garlic
4 carrots
1 stick of celery – not essential
Sweet potatoes
Frozen peas
Few white potatoes
Worcester sauce
Tomato puree
Mustard
Can of chopped tomatoes
Fresh
herbs (I used tarragon and flat leaf parsley)
Method
1)
heat up your oven to about 180 degrees
2)
on the hob, warm up frying pan with slug of olive oil.
4)
gently soften the chopped onions, garlic, carrots, leek and celery and simmer for about
15 mins.
5)
While you are waiting start chopping the potatoes – both the sweet and white –
skins on or off, however you like. Place in boiling water with good slug
of salt for about 25 mins till really soft. I like skins on as it is more vitamins, but for guests I would probably peel.
6)
chuck in the mince to the pan and brown it slowly. Add the herbs now.
7) for the sauce: in a cereal sized bowl put in 2 table spoons of tomato puree, 1 table spoon of
yellow mustard, 4 table spoons of Worcester sauce. Mix up so you have a couple
of inches of the sauce in the bottom of your bowl. Top up with a little
water if you like a very saucy pie. Add to the meat and veg mixture.
8)
Chuck in can of chopped tomatoes with a sprinkle of sugar on the top to cut the
acid and simmer it all together for about 5 mins.
9)
Lay on the bottom of your dish. Should cover it completely.
10)
Open a bottle of red wine – pour out 2 glasses – one for you and one to cover
the meat mixture. It's important not too add the wine before this as you
don't want to cook off all of that lovely booooze.
11)
Boil some frozen petit pois for a few minutes till soft.
12)
mash the potatoes together with dollop of butter, slug of milk – liberal salt
and pepper. Mash the peas into the potatoes, but not so much that the
peas smaulch – the effect you are going for is orangey potato green speckles
13)
pop the mash mix on top of the meat. Use a fork to make a nice pattern on top
so it goes crispy in the oven.
14)
Sprinkle a good handful of good handful of strong cheddar on top. You can
leave this out if you are being good.
15)
pop in the oven for about 45-50 mins till top is golden and crispy and the
sides are bubbling. Serve with greens and the rest of the red wine.
YUM.
The best thing about this pie is the leftovers, once it has rested in your fridge for about 24 hours it became even tastier.
Sweet Potato Cottage Pie |
Rose
xx