Mince and Vegetable Pie with Tumbled Spuds

Mince and Vegetable Pie with Tumbled Spuds from the Hairy Dieters is remarkably similar to their cottage pie recipe but has a jazzed up title. Whatever the marketing spiel, this is another hearty, satisfying dish masquerading as a meat and potato pie, which isn’t a conventional meat and potato pie. You know what I mean? Basically, there’s no pastry in it, and it doesn’t come with lashings of mushy peas and gravy, but apart from that…. oh well.

Unlike their cottage pie recipe from their first book, this version from their second book contains a more generous serving size and takes far less time to cook in the oven – double whammy! The only ingredient missing from the two is celery, but like who cares? I followed the Hairy’s alternative suggestion of topping this pie with sweet potato mash rather than plain white potatoes and it worked a treat.

If ‘pies’ are your thing but you want something a bit more imaginative, check out tortilla chilli pie, which as the name suggests is topped with tortilla chips and finished off under the grill.

Recipe: Mince and Vegetable Pie with Tumbled Spuds

Calories: 366 per portion (if serving 4); 292 calories (if serving 5)

Serves: 4

Book: Hairy Dieters – Eat for Life

Prep time: Approx 20 minutes

Cooking time: Approx 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 500g extra-lean minced beef
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 2 slender leeks (trimmed and sliced)
• 2 medium carrots (peeled and diced)
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 500ml beef stock (made with 1 beef stock cube)
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Flaked sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Potato topping:

• 600g medium potatoes (preferably Maris Pipers)
• 15g butter
• Flaked sea salt
• Ground black pepper

Cost per portion: Approx £1.19

Method:

Place a large non-stick saucepan or flameproof casserole dish over a medium heat and cook the mince with the onion, leeks and carrots for five minutes until lightly coloured. Break up the meat with a couple of wooden spoons as it cooks.

Stir in the flour and cook for a few seconds, stirring. Add the tomato puree, beef stock, herbs and Worcestershire sauce, then season with a good pinch of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook without covering for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220 degrees C / Fan 200 degrees C / Gas 7. Half fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to the boil. Peel the potatoes and cut them into rough 2cm chunks. Add the potatoes to the boiling water, bring it back to the boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and drain the potatoes in a colander. Tip them back into the saucepan, add the butter and lots of seasoning, then bash or lightly mash the potatoes.

Pour the beef mixture into a 1.8-litre, shallow, ovenproof dish. Tumble the potatoes on top and season with lots of ground black pepper. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling.