Summer Cottage Pie

This is sort of like a cottage pie but with some olives, peppers and sun-dried tomatoes mixed in.

I wanted to make a summer version of a cottage pie and I wanted it to be lower in saturated fat than a normal cottage pie. I wanted to try and make something that is a bit more heart-healthy. So instead of a mashed potato topping, which would be mashed with milk and butter (which tastes so yummy), I topped it with sliced boiled baby potatoes, tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with a little salt. To the meat filling I added lots of olives and a good dose of spice. Did it work? Yes, this tastes pretty good. It’s very filling. The potato tastes very creamy paired with the spicy meat.

The way I make Summer Cottage Pie is

Ingredients:

• 450g minced beef
• 220g olives (either black or mix)
• 10 sundried tomatoes
• 2 bell peppers, roasted and skinned (red or mix of yellow and red)
• 2 chillies, topped & tailed and deseeded
• olive oil
• red wine vinegar
• 1 400g plum tomatoes
• dried basil
• dried oregano
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 1kg potatoes, boiled and sliced
• salt & pepper

Instructions:

1. Put the olives, sundried tomatoes, peppers, chillies, a splash of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar in a food mixer and mix till everything is good and small.
2. Heat a little oil in a frying pan. Brown the mince quickly on a high heat. Then add the tomatoes and break up the flesh into small pieces. Add in the garlic and a good sprinkle of the basil and oregano. Keep stirring until the sauce has thickened.
3. Turn the heat down, add the mix from the food mixer, stir in well and leave to simmer for 15 minutes on a gentle heat.
4. While the meat filling is simmering, boil the potatoes. When they are done, drain, allow to cool for a few minutes, slice, drizzle over some olive oil and sprinkle on just a little salt.
5. Grease a baking dish with a little oil, fill the bottom of it with the meat filling and then top with the sliced potatoes.
6. Bake in a hot oven until the top is golden and crispy.
7. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.