Cottage Pie with Leek and Cauliflower mash

I LOVE carbs!  Like adore them.  Some of my childhood friends used to call me 'Potatoes and Bread' cause it's all I used to eat.  I will choose mash and pasta and rice over protein any day.  But eating (more like devouring) this pie that Ross cooked on the weekend, I think I'm a convert.  

Who knew that putting leek and cauliflower together would make a mash to rival the original?

Seriously you have to try this Pie.  It feeds 6 people and total carb content is 13.3g!

Shut Up!  It is true, and delicious.

Cottage Pie with leek and cauliflower mash.  Serves 6

Mince:

50g unsalted butter

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 slim carrots, trimmed, peeled and thinly sliced

2 sticks celery heart, trimmed and thinly sliced

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 tablespoons fresh oregano

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1kg lean minced beef

200ml red wine

1x400g can chopped tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

sea salt, black pepper

Mash:

600g leeks (trimmed weight), thickly sliced

600g small cauliflower florets

freshly grated nutmeg

a bunch of slim spring onions, sliced

150g small cherry tomatoes, halved

Method:

Heat half the butter and a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saucepan over a medium heat, add the sliced and chopped vegetables and herbs, and fry for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly coloured.

Add the meat, turn up the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until it changes colour.

Add the red wine, chopped tomatoes and puree, Worcestershire sauce and some seasoning.  Bring to a simmer then cook over a very low heat for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nearly all the juices have been absorbed.

Keep a careful eye on it towards the end to prevent it from burning.  Tilt the pan and skim off any surface fat, then taste for seasoning.

While the mince cooks, start making the mash.  Place the leeks and cauliflower in a large saucepan with 150ml water, dot with the remaining 25g butter, add a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt.  Bring the liquid to a simmer, then cover and cook over a low heat for 15-25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until very tender.  Tip the contents of the pan into a food processor and reduce to a puree, seasoning with nutmeg and more salt if necessary.

You tend to get the best results if you do this in a couple of batches.

Transfer the mince to a shallow ovenproof dish or roasting tin, pressing down to level the surface.  Spread the mash on top.  You can make the pie in advance, in which case leave to cool, cover and chill.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan/200 degrees electric.  Toss the spring onions and cherry tomatoes with the remaining tablespoon of oil and scatter over the surface.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the vegetables on top are golden.

Oh, and for all those healthy's out there, it has 43.8g protein.

We enjoyed ours with some veggies and a glass of vino.

Enjoy!  Love Lil xx