Ingredients:
2 very large or 5 smaller sweet potatoes
Small (220g or U.S. equivalent) tub Philadelphia Cream Cheese with chives
Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce
700g (1.5 lbs.) of good quality beef mince
1 small carrot
Half an onion
1 Knorr Beef or Rich Beef Stockpot
Half a jar of pasta sauce
2/3 cup of frozen peas (Petit Pois or Garden Peas work best)
A few handfuls of grated cheddar cheese
A large deep non-stick pan
A 9”x9” square casserole dish (or close enough)
This is ‘Autumn Cottage Pie’ – my take on a traditional
cottage pie with a yummier twist.
Despite the name I gave it, it’s delicious comfort food for any time of year. It never fails to be a hit among friends
& family & is often requested by my hubby & 7 year old son. This amount makes more than enough to feed myself, my hubby & my son for 2 nights in a row & could easily feed a family of 4 or 5 for one night.
To prepare, first peel & cut 2 large or 5 small sweet
potatoes for boiling & mashing. Boil
these while you prepare the meat mixture.
You will also need to blanch your peas in boiling water for a minute or
2, drain & set aside. Next, grate a
small carrot or half a large carrot & dice half an onion. Place them in the non-stick pan with a splash
of water & a splash of Worcestershire & allow them to soften for a
couple of minutes. Then add your beef
mince & cook until browned, stirring & breaking up constantly with a
wooden spoon or spatula to get rid of any clumps & make a fine texture. When browned, stir in the pre-blanched
peas. At this point, you can add in
roughly half of a normal-sized (around 454g size) jar of your favourite pasta
sauce & a Knorr beef or rich beef gel stockpot with just a couple of tablespoons
of water. Mix well until stock pot fully
melts & is blended in. Allow
the mixture to simmer while you prepare the mash topping. For the mash topping, just drain & mash
the sweet potatoes until smooth, then stir in about a teaspoon of salt, a dash
of cracked black pepper & about half of a 200g tub of Philadelphia cream cheese with chives. Stir for a minute or 2 until creamy
& blended well. Pour the meat
mixture into a casserole dish & spread out evenly, then top with a light
layer of grated cheddar cheese. Top this
with the mashed sweet potato. To do this, spoon the
mash on & spread out gently in a smooth thick layer. Next, gently line the mash with a fork. Make sure to do it lightly so as not to go deep
& expose the meat. The best way is
to turn the fork back-side-up & make the lines going towards you long ways. This is my son’s favourite task when he’s
helping me make this. These lines not
only make it look pretty when it’s cooked, they also allow for little bits of
it to brown, making the texture & taste better. Put the whole dish into an oven at 180 Celsius
(350 F) for about 30 minutes or until lines of mash are browning & meat
sauce is bubbling up around edges.
Serve with steamed green veggies & buttered bread rolls
such as petit pain or individual ciabattas.
This is just before the oven.
Just out of the oven. The rich sauce & meat bubbling up is what you want to see.
This is how we like it.
