What happens on a snowy day in England....

You may be wondering what I get up to when I'm snowed in....well, this year I ended up in the kitchen making a homemade cottage pie from scratch! I'm a huge fan of meat, vegetables and plenty of potato, so this recipe is right up my street.

Little L's Lushious Cottage Pie 

What you'll need to serve 2:
1 red onion
8 chantaney carrots
250g lean beef mince
150g petits pois
3 heaped teaspoons of beef gravy
4 medium Maris Piper potatoes
Goats cheese 

What to do:

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes, put them into a pan of water and boil (for approx. 20mins).
2. Peel and boil the chantenay carrots for approx. 10mins. Once boiled, cut the cooked carrots up into small chunks. 
3. Put a little oil in a frying pan to heat up. Add the beef mince and cook until browned. 
4. Once the mince is browned, add the finely chopped red onions and carrots. 
5. Continue to cook the mince, carrots and onions for a further 5mins. Then make up some gravy; mixing 3 heaped teaspoons with 150ml of hot waters. Stir well. 
6. Add the gravy to the pan and stir.
7. Boil 150g of frozen peas (for approx. 5-10mins) and once cooked, add the peas to the pan. Leave the cottage pie filling mixture to simmer for 10mins. 
8. Take the potatoes off the boil and drain. Add a knob of butter, a sprinkle of black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic purée (or chopped garlic), 4 tablespoons of milk and then mash the potatoes until smooth and creamy.
9. Place the mixture of mince and vegetables into an ovenproof dish (I usually fill the dish 3/4 full of the mixture). Then ass the mash on top; remembering to smooth around the edges. 
10. Place in the oven on 200°c for 10mins. 
11. Grate your cheese of choice. Remove the cottage pie from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the mash potato. 
12. Place the pie back on the oven and leave to brown on the top. 
13. Serve and enjoy!

PS: The sprouts are optional!! 

Let me know if you tried out my recipe and loved it too!

Love,

L x