Wholesome Cottage Pie

Warm comforting cottage pie. This is one of my favourite ultimate comfort food dishes to have when you need a little love and nourishment. I grew up eating this dish for dinner. It's a classic and to me it never gets old. 

Ingredients    

-400g lean mince beef mince

-1 tablespoon of olive oil  

-1 onion (finely chopped) 

-2 garlic cloves 

-1 carrot (grated)

-2 sticks of celery (finely chopped) 

-75g frozen peas 

-1 beef stock cube (dissolved in 800ml boiling water) 

-2 tablespoons of tomato puree 

-2 tablespoons of worchester sauce 

-salt and pepper 

-5-6 large rooster potatoes 

-50g butter (melted)

-25ml milk 

-75g grated cheddar cheese 

Method 

Peel the potatoes and add them to a pot of cold water with a little salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes until tender. When cooked strain the water and mash. Add in the melted butter and milk and mix till smooth and lightly creamy. Season with some salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a deep dish and when hot cook the mince first until brown. Add in the finely chopped onion and garlic and saute until soft. Stir in the grated carrot and finely chopped celery and mix together. Add the tomato puree and worchester sauce until combined. Add the frozen peas and finally pour in the beef stock, cover and leave to simmer for 10 minutes until slightly reduced.  

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Transfer the mince mixture to a deep casserole dish. Cover with the creamy mashed potatoes and finish with zig-zag fork lines. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes and then add in the grated cheese to the top and return to the oven and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the top is golden and crispy.  

Serve straight away!