All Treat, No Trick!

All that walking around knocking on doors and tricking neighbours for tasty treats can work up an appetite! This warming, comforting and time-tolerant cottage pie is bound to blow away even the spookiest cobwebs – and keep

the ghouls (as well as the wolves) from the door. Giving you a little time to think ahead and prepare for this night this is a monster of a meal that won’t have frightening consequences.

Made with lean beef (but you can use Quorn for a vegetarian alternative) and a rustic mash topping of baby potatoes and goat’s cheese it can be made well ahead and cooked just before the revellers return.

Don’t over-mash the new potatoes and goat’s cheese, use the back of a fork to crush your potatoes, rather than a potato masher. The top should be crisp with creamy pieces of melted goat’s cheese throughout. Serve with a green vegetable or crisp green salad accompaniment if liked.

Later in the week we’ll also feature some more ‘tricky treats’ …. come back for more, if you dare!

COTTAGE PIE WITH BABY NEW POTATO AND GOAT’S CHEESE MASH

Ingredients

METRIC/US

low-fat cooking spray or mist

350 g/12 oz extra-lean minced beef/ground beef

1 small red onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

3 carrots, peeled and chopped into small dice

3 parsnips, peeled and chopped into small dice

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

½ beef stock/bouillon cube dissolved in 100 ml/½ cup water

1 tbsp chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

400 g/14 oz baby new potatoes, scrubbed and skin on

100 g/4 oz goat’s cheese (I used soft, mild Chavroux)

pinch of grated nutmeg

1 tbsp snipped chives

Method

1.  Spritz a large pan with low-fat cooking spray or mist. Add the beef and cook until browned and no longer pink.
2.  Add the onion, garlic, thyme, carrot and parsnip mixing well. Cook for 2 minutes.
3.  Add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock/bouillon. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour (don’t be tempted to shorten this time you want the beef to be really tender and flavoursome). If the mixture looks to have excess liquid then raise the heat to reduce for about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4.  Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for about 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain and crush with the goat’s cheese – don’t overwork this you want the mash to be rustic not smooth. Season with the nutmeg and salt and pepper and stir in the chives.
5.  Spoon the beef mixture into a large ovenproof dish or small individual dishes and top with the mash. Grill/broil for a few minutes until the mash is golden. If preparing ahead then assemble meat and mash pies, leave to cool and then finish in a hot 200 C/400 F/gas 6 oven for about 20-30 minutes when required.

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: ½

V suitable for Vegetarians if using Quorn mince

CALORIES PER PORTION: 295

PROTEIN: 24.1g

CARBOHYDRATE: 31.7g

FAT: 7.7g

Why not make in our Bariatric Portion, Cook and Serve Cups? (details here) 

Image courtesy of www.balancebox.com