Cottage Pie [#Recipe]

Cottage Pie is a firm favourite in our house, always goes down a treat and this recipe makes enough to feed all of us well (which means, six of us plus enough for A & J to have another big helping each!).

To be fair, I'm not even sure we can really call it a recipe as such because I change it often and just sort of throw things in as I'm cooking, but I'll let you know the basic ingredients and what I do, then you can change it to make it your own in whatever way you choose. Sometimes I add carrots to the base, sometimes I add swede to the topping... Etc. It just depends on how I feel on the day & what I fancy!

INGREDIENTS

- 750g minced beef
- 2 x cooking onions
- gravy granules
- garlic puree
- Worcester sauce
- 2 x 400g tins of baked beans
- dried mixed herbs

FOR THE TOPPING

- potatoes
- grated cheddar cheese

METHOD

• Peel the potatoes and bring to the boil in a separate pan. The amount of potatoes is entirely up to you, as some people prefer only a little mash with their pie. We have ours about half and half and I just peel until I think we have enough for a good topping.
• Chop up the onions and fry them in a pan with the garlic puree for a couple of minutes, before adding the minced beef.
• Continue to fry off the onions, garlic and mince until the mince is browned. Sprinkle in some mixed herbs, and a few dashes of Worcester sauce.
• To soak up any excess fat from the mince, sprinkle in a few gravy granules a little at a time until it has thickened up and there isn't any excess liquid floating around the bottom of the pan.
• Add one tin of baked beans, then drain off the tomato liquid from the other before adding the beans to the mince. Mix well and allow to warm through for a few minutes.
• Transfer the mince & beans to a large oven dish and level it out.
• Mash the boiled potatoes and add whatever you wish (milk, butter, salt etc), before spooning it out on top of the mince in the oven dish. Sprinkle a generous amount of cheddar cheese over the top and bake in a preheated oven (about 190) for approximately 25-30 minutes until the cheese has started browning nicely.
• Serve and enjoy!

Like I said, this is always a big hit in our house and is a great Autumn/Winter warmer. You can also serve it with a big helping of green veggies too!