Ingredients
Cottage pie:
• Olive oil
• 500g lean beef mince
• Salt and milled pepper
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 250g button mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 sachet (50g) tomato paste
• 2 cups (500ml) beef stock
• 2 tbsp (30ml) Worcestershire sauce
• Few sprigs thyme
Topping:
• 1 large head (about 500g) cauliflower
• 1½ cups (375ml) grated mature cheddar
• White pepper
Preparation method
Cottage pie:
- Heat oil. Brown mince, and season well.
- Add onion, carrots and celery, and fry to soften.
- Add mushrooms and garlic, and fry for another 1 minute.
- Add remaining ingredients, and simmer for at least 30 minutes – the longer you simmer, the more delicious the result!
- Spoon into an ovenproof dish.
Topping:
- Cut cauliflower into florets, and blanch until just tender.
- Mash roughly with a potato masher or pulse-blend briefly with a stick blender.
- Stir cheese through cauliflower, and season with salt and pepper.
- Pile onto mince.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 20 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.