Cottage pie was one of the first dishes that I learned how to make and it was my occasion dish for many years. These days, as my cooking repertoire has expanded, it makes a good meal to take to work for lunch. Since I don’t like eating red meat for several days in a row, I now make it with chicken mince, beef stock and tomatoes. The white potato mash has also been expanded to include sweet potato. This is a traditional stove top and oven recipe but feel free to make the potato topping in the Thermomix.
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
600g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
400g potato, peeled and cut into 3cm pieces
100mL reduced fat milk (200mL if making in the Thermomix)
1 tbsp seeded mustard
Vegetable oil for frying
1 large onion, diced into 0.5-1cm pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
600g chicken mince
2 tbsp corn flour
400g can crushed tomatoes
2 carrots, diced into 0.5-1cm pieces
500mL beef stock
3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 cups frozen peas
Salt and pepper, to season
150g reduced fat tasty or cheddar cheese, grated
Instructions
Preheat oven to 200C with broiler on
Mashed Potato Topping
1. Put potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water and sprinkle with salt
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook for 20-25 minutes or until a fork passes easily through the pieces
3. Drain water from the pot. Add mustard, milk, salt and pepper into the pot with the potatoes and then mash
Meat Filling
4. In the meantime, mix mince, salt, pepper and corn flour in a bowl
5. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and cook onion and garlic for 1-2 minutes or until onions are soft
6. Add mince and heat until cooked through; breaking up the meat with a heat-proof turner
7. Add crushed tomatoes and carrots into the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes
8. Add stock and Worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes
9. Bring heat back up to medium, add peas (still frozen) into the frying pan and cook for 5 minutes
10. Pour meat filling into a large, rectangular roasting dish
11. Cover with the mashed potato, score vertically and horizontally across the top with a fork and sprinkle with grated cheese
12. Put the pie in the 2nd from the top shelf of the oven and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes until top is browned
Tips and Hints
1. Use the Thermomix to make the mashed potato topping; following the instructions in the Thermomix Everyday Cook Book
2. Put the roasting dish on a baking tray to catch any liquid that bubbles over while in the oven
[updated: September 15, 2013]
