Mini Gourmet Cottage Pies Made with Championship Boerewors
Ingredients
Serves 8
Filling
- 25ml of olive oil
- 2 small onions, peeled and chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or grated
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 1 handful of fresh/frozen peas
- 2 celery sticks, stringy edge removed, finely diced
- 3 packs of thick sized Championship Boerewors
- 3 tbsp of tomato paste
- 1 tbsp of mild curry powder
- 2 tbsp of apricot jam (or chutney of choice)
- 1 tbsp of chopped almonds or peanuts, toasted
- Salt and pepper to taste
Topping
- 450g of potato, peeled and quartered
- 50g of salted butter, melted
- 75ml of milk
- 80g of mozzarella or white cheddar cheese
- 2 pinches of salt
- 1 pinch of black pepper
Serving Equipment
- 8-10 ramekins or medium foil pie-holders
Preparation
- Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and cook until soft.
- Remove the Championship Boerewors meat out of its casing add it to the saucepan to fry, stirring to breakup the meat into a mince texture until browned.
- Stir in the peas, tomato paste, curry powder and apricot jam (of chutney of choice). Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer on medium-low heat for approximately 20 minutes, or until the meat is cooked. Remove from the heat.
- Stir in the toasted almonds, season with salt and pepper to your liking. Transfer the mince mix into 8-10 ramekins of foil pie-holders.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- For the cheesy potato topping (you can make it at the same time as the filling or ahead of time, should you be an experienced cook), place the potatoes in cold salted water and boil until soft and “floury.”
- Mash the potatoes to a fluffy texture. Then beat in the milk and butter together with grated cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
- Spread the mash over the mince filling in the ramekins or pie-dishes and fluff the top with a fork. Alternatively, scoop the mash into a piping bag and pipe the mashed potato over the mince.
- Place the mini cottage pies onto a baking tray and into the preheated oven to cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the pies are heated right through and the potato topping has lightly browned. Serve immediately.