Cottage pie

Deb June 25, 2004

Variation 1:“Golden” cottage pie

  • A batch of savoury mince (see above)
  • About a 1 kg (2 lbs) piece of pumpkin
  • 100g (4 oz) of feta
  • small handful of grated Tasty cheddar cheese

Cut up, de-seed and peel pumpkin and set to boil in some salted water. Meanwhile, cook up a batch of savoury mince. Put the mince in a baking dish. Mash the drained pumpkin with some butter, and layer on top. Crumble the feta and sprinkle over the top. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of that. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 175C (350F) or till golden brown.

Note: If you have children, you might want to mash a half and half mix of potato and pumpkin the first few times, and gradually reduce the amount of potato. They might also prefer a plain cheddar cheese topping.

Variation 2: Venison cottage pie

  • 2 large or 3-4 medium red kumera (outside NZ, use sweet potatoes)
  • 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped or crushed
  • 600gm venison mince
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Peel the kumera, chop into pieces and set to boil in salted water. Meanwhile, sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil. Add the mince and brown it, breaking it up into small pieces with the spatula as you go. Add the salt, tomato paste, thyme and peas. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Put into a baking dish. Mash the kumera with some butter. Layer on top. Dot with some more butter. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 175C (350F) till browned on top.