Healthier Cottage Pie

Again, the heating has been on at home this week and I spent yesterday back in my winter coat.  Despite the cold, wet weather, I did have another brilliant breakfast of pancakes, bacon and maple syrup at Sugar Junction in Manchester’s Northern Quarter (click here) 

It is officially my favourite tea room ever!  Saying I’ve travelled to America quite a few times, I have never tried the pancake/bacon/maple syrup combo over there, but have found this American breakfast staple (or so I thought it was) becoming more popular over here.  The pancakes at Sugar Junction are amazing- thicker than the average pancake, but also light and fluffy too.  The maple syrup is a good sugar and when you throw bacon into the mix, you end up with a breakfast that ranks up there with sea-salted caramel.  The sweet and salty combo is just delicious! 

I’ve decided that I must make my own at home for breakfast next weekend, but will try making the pancakes with wholemeal flour to keep them healthier than they would be with white flour.  As for bacon, well a little bit now and then won’t kill you!

This weekend has been a blur of comfort food and I'm holding the winter-like weather to blame!  To me, Cottage Pie is another winter dish that should only been eaten between November and March, but the cold weather means I’m craving it!  I made a healthier version of Cottage Pie this morning, so that it’s ready to go into the oven tomorrow evening after work.  The mince is simply fried with an onion in a little olive oil then instead of mash made with white potatoes, milk and lashings of butter, I used sweet potatoes instead as they are a much healthier (and I think tastier) type of spud.

Ingredients (serves 4):

Olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 packet of minced beef (I used the larger pack from Aldi, think it was 800g)

¾ a pint of boiling water

2 oxo cubes

A bag of sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

Sea salt

A splash of milk

Method:

1.        Put the oxo cubes into the water to dissolve.  In the meantime, heat a little olive oil in a pan and fry the onions until softened.

2.       Add the mince and fry until it has browned.

3.       Add the oxo cube stock, bring to the boil and allow to boil until most of the stock has reduced and the mixture is thicker.  Keep the heat high and stir often to check it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan. When it’s ready, pour your mince into an oven proof dish.

4.       Boil your potatoes with a little sea salt. Once soft, drain and mash, adding a splash of milk to give them more of a ‘fluffy’ consistency!  No butter needed as these mashed potatoes are delicious enough without the unhealthy extras!

5.       Top your mince with the mash and place under a hot grill to crisp up the potatoes.  You can prepare this dish the day before too and fridge it overnight.  If you’re cooking it straight from the fridge, I’d heat it in the oven first (about 170 °) and then finish it off under the grill.

ENJOY!!

Happy, healthy eating!!!