Homemade

Last week was full of unpredictable events, including an unfortunate ambulance ride and a whole lot of panic. That, however, is an entire different matter. Instead of focusing on the gristly details of the former, I'll share about another part of my week... a delicious cottage pie.

I love food, which a plain enough fact to see, but it's hard to find time or the effort. I'd like to blame a mom who abhors cooking anything beyond toast, and a household where dinner is often takeaway from wherever one of us are, (or worse, tuna from the can on crackers), but mostly it's just my laziness. When my godmother graciously and bravely offered to teach me how to make a simple enough dish of meat & potato fare, I jumped at the opportunity. And two hours later... Voilà! A beautiful casserole, brimming with goodness!

I'm not joking when I say that family inhaled the entire thing in minutes. The recipe is that good. I've made it only once since, altering a couple of measurements here and there. Mostly though, it remains my Godma's pie, hearty and homemade. 

Aunty Stella's Shepherd's Pie

Godma likes to make hers with a 3:2 meat and baked beans ratio, but I go heavy on the minced beef because I'm carnivorous like that. Feel free to throw in whatever you like though, almost anything goes! Also, I served the pie with slices of fried buttered bread the last time, to mop up the slurry of gravy that gathers at the base of the casserole dish.

Ingredients

5 medium russet potatoes

75g of butter

100ml of milk

Olive Oil

1 & 1/2 medium yellow onions

500g minced beef

A handful of sweet corn nibblets

100g of button mushrooms (halved or quartered)

1 & 1/2 beef stock cubes
150g of thick tomato puree
3 slices of streaky bacon
Salt
Pepper

1. Skin the potatoes and cut them into quarters. Throw these pieces into a pot, with a generous dash of salt and just enough water to cover. Boil for about 15-20 minutes. They are ready when you can pierce through one easily with a fork.

2. While waiting for the potatoes to boil, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Dice the onions and cut the bacon into rough 1-inch pieces. 

3. Mash the pieces with kitchen masher, of it you don't have one, use the back of a fork. It suits me just fine. I like having slightly lumpy mashed potatoes :)

4. Cut off small chunks of butter and immerse them deep into the mound of potato and let the chunks melt. Add the milk slowly and mix it into the potato.

5. Put the mashed potato aside. Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat up some olive oil in a wok and add the  diced onions, stir-frying at medium heat.

6. When the onions have turned slightly brown, throw in the minced beef and continue to stir-fry at medium/high heat for about 3 - 5 minutes.

7. When meat has turned a pinkish-brown hue, add in the sweet corn, mushrooms, tomato puree and stock cubes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Add in about 50ml of water slowly and reduce on medium heat.

9. When the meat mixture is done, pour it into a 12x8x3inch casserole dish. Gently place the mashed potatoes on top. I like to run a fork across the surface so the ridges become browned and slightly crispy, yum!

10. Scatter the bacon pieces on top and bake in oven for about 30 minutes.

11. Take out, cool, and serve!

Serves a rabidly hungry family of five.