Cheesy Cottage Pie

The humble cottage pie isn't the most glamourous of dishes, but it is the perfect antidote to a miserable Sunday evening. Mash potato is the ultimate comfort food, add melted cheese and juicy beef into the mix and you've got yourself a delicious dinner!

Serves 4-6

500g beef mince

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsps tomato puree

250ml red wine

500ml beef stock

1 tbsp plain flour

A couple of bay leaves

Worcestershire sauce

For the topping:

900g floury potatoes

Butter

Milk

100g cheddar, grated

1. Fry the beef in a little oil for 10 minutes until it has begun to brown. Add the onions, garlic and carrot and cook for a further 10 minutes until softened. Add the flour and fry for a few minutes, next add the red wine. Bubble away until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the beef stock, tomato puree and bay leaves. Turn the heat down, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Taste and add the Worcestershire sauce and seasoning
2. At this point you want the sauce to be nice and thick, so that mash can sit on top of it rather than just melting in. If you need to reduce it further, remove the meat & vegetables with a slotted spoon, you can discard the bay leaves at this point. Then put the gravy over a reasonably high heat and simmer until it has thickened
3. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft. Mash with the butter and milk and season. Pour the meat and gravy into a large dish and top with the mash - make sure you rough the mash up with a fork so it goes nice and crispy. Grate the cheese over the top and bake for 45 minutes. Serve with your vegetable of choice, I went for stir fried cabbage with caraway seeds

Shepherds Pie with Goats Cheese

After a long trip to IKEA on Sunday afternoon I decided to cook one of my mum's recipes. There's something very comforting about cooking a meal you're used to eating at home with your family. My version wasn't a patch on my mum's unforunately, as I put too much stock into the sauce and didn't have the time to let it reduce. Nevertheless, it's a great take on a traditional shepherds pie; the spices and goats cheese add a middle eastern flavour which works beautifully with the lamb.

Serves 4 - 6
500g lamb mince
1 sweet potato
1 large onion
2 sticks celery
2 carrots
1 courgette
Chopped fresh thyme & rosemary
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp paprika
Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp tomato puree
Bouillion powder
1 tbsp Flour
850g potatoes
1 Capricorn goats cheese

Method:

1. Fry the lamb until lightly browned. Add the chopped onion, carrot and celery and fry for 10 minutes. Then add the chopped courgette and sweet potato, fry until soft. 
2. Add the flour, spices and herbs. Gradually add the stock, then add the puree, Worcestershire sauce and seasoning. Simmer for an hour until the sauce has thickened.
3. Meanwhile boil the potatoes for 20 minutes until soft. Drain and mash with a little milk and butter.
4. Put the meat into a dish and top with the mash and slices of goats cheese. Cook in the oven for 30 min and serve with winter greens.

Before:

After: