All the hearty taste – minus the carbs…
Cottage pie is a staple on the home-cooked meal roster. With potatoes out of the picture, make a quick adjustment and use cauliflower to make that delicious crusty topping.
What You Need
For the mince:
400g beef mince
125g streaky bacon
40g butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
50g tomato paste
1 cup beef stock
3 large sprigs thyme, chopped
200g button mushrooms, sliced
1 tin chopped tomatoes
3 large sprigs origanum, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1/ In a medium-sized, heavybased frying pan, sauté the mince and bacon in the butter until golden brown.
2/ Once the mince has browned, remove the meat, leaving the fat in the pan, and add the onion and celery.
3/ Sauté the onion and celery until golden brown. Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic.
4/ Return the mince to the pan, add the tomato paste and stir until a dark sediment collects on the base of the pot (this sediment gives the mince an amazing roasted flavour).
5/ Add the beef stock, thyme, mushrooms and tinned tomato and simmer on low heat for about an hour to cook and reduce.
6/ Add the origanum and season to taste with salt and pepper.
For the cauli-mash:
1 cauliflower head, broken into florets
100g butter
2 egg yolks
Ground nutmeg
1/ Steam the cauliflower until it goes mushy.
2/ Place the cauliflower in a food processor and purée until smooth.
3/ While the blender is running, add the egg yolks.
4/ Add the butter, one knob at a time, until it has melted and the mixture is smooth.
5/ Season with nutmeg to taste.
To make the cottage pie:
1/ Fill a lasagne/pie dish with the mince and smooth it out.
2/ Top it with the cauliflower purée and press the classic fork pattern into the top. 3/ Place it under the grill for 15 minutes until golden brown.
Serves 4. Per 625g serving: 2 759kJ, 47g fat (25g sat), 790mg sodium, 25g carbs, 7g fibre, 11g sugars, 38g protein
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