Oven Baked Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Hello dears! 

{Image source: pvera, flickr}

So, you read the title and you realised that there is no part of this that isn't good, right? I mean, we have the main players (cheese and bacon) the backup (chicken) and the stage (oven). What could possibly be wrong here? You were right, nothing! While I was (again) planning to make risotto last night, my sister convinced me to make it when she can come round and share, so I had to make another plan for dinner. And while we've already had chicken this week, I thought it was different enough that it wouldn't matter, and I needed something fast.

These are fantastic to make on those nights when you have little time, and less patience. Just steam some spinach or chard, mix it with some cream cheese, beat the chicken flat, fill, wrap, pop in the oven. Prep takes 10 minutes, cooking takes 20-30 (depending on the size of your chicken breasts). So this is quick, easy and flavourful! Get to it!

Oven Baked Cheese Stuffed Chicken

{Image source: kubina, flickr}

Ingredients:
Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (as many as there are people, more than one per person if you have hungry people. I bought a pack of 4, made all of them and we ate 1 each, with 2 leftover. And mine were small, so its up to you)
Plain cream cheese (or flavoured, if that's your thing. Don't know about salmon cream cheese and chicken though...)
Spinach or Swiss chard, roughly chopped
Small block of feta diced *optional
2 rashers of streaky bacon per chicken breast
Salt and pepper to season

{Image source: pvera, flickr}

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Steam or quickly boil your chard/spinach in the microwave - 3 mins worked for mine. Drain and set aside to cool.
3. Using a can, pan or meat mallet, beat your chicken breasts to about a centimeter thick - you want them quite thin, so you can fill and roll them.
4. Once flattened, season both sides with salt and pepper, and set aside.
5. In a bowl, mix the chard and the cream cheese. You'll have to judge how much you need, based on how many chicken breasts you have, but for 4 small chicken breasts, I used just over 2 tbsps cream cheese.
6. Mix in the diced feta, and spoon the cheese and chard mix into the centre of each breast.
7. Wrap the chicken around the filling, covering all of it with the chicken. You don't want to over-fill these, as all the cheese will leak out when baking. If you fill them properly, it should stay inside.
8. When they are all full, take the bacon and wrap it around each breast, sealing in the cheesy goodness. Mine took 2 rashers per breast, but I suppose if you have enormous chicken breasts you might need more. Judge it. And remember, there's no such thin as too much bacon.
9. Spray an oven-proof dish or cookie sheet with some oil, and place the chicken breasts seam side down into the dish.
10. Pop the whole lot in the oven, and bake for 20 minutes. Take it out, and stab the chicken, if the juice runs clear, its cooked, if not, pop it back in for another 5-10 minutes. You don't want to overcook or undercook the chicken, so keep an eye on it. 
11. If you like your bacon crispy, when the chicken is cooked, turn up the grill and brown the bacon for a few minutes.
12. Remove from the oven, and serve hot with a salad, and sweet potato mash.

This was delicious, fast and easy, and came with leftovers. Plus, it had cheese and bacon which, next to cupcakes, are my two favourite things.

So make this, and thank me later!

Enjoy, lovelies!

Braaied Fish Pate

Hi!

So last Friday was National Heritage Day and National Braai Day, here in South Africa. We had the day off, and we were all amped for a big outdoor cooking-eating-drinking fest, with people posting tons of recipes and ideas for the week prior. Now, the boy and I went to his parents for the weekend, and we arrived pretty late. When we got there, we discovered they'd organised a fish braai (barbeque for my non-locals), making snoek (large barracuda) and angelfish. There being only 4 of us, there were tons of leftovers, and something about fish makes it hard to eat the next day. And so it sat.

After the weekend, we were sent home with leftovers, and (surprise!) a huge piece of braaied fish. Now, my hubby, lovely though he is, is a bit particular with leftovers. He'll eat almost anything fresh, but leftovers, particularly fishy leftovers, just don't appeal. And I can understand that. The hard, weird looking scaly beast was yummy when fresh off the fire, but a day or so later, and it starts looking funny. But do I just throw out a perfectly good piece of fish? No sirree! This was destined for the blender!

Now, we've all had tuna mayo, and maybe you've tried smoked snoek pate from the supermarket. But with some leftover fish, a little sour cream and a little effort, you can have your own fish pate, and you're safe in the knowledge that you didn't waste the precious fish!

Again, this is more method than recipe. Depending on how much fish you have, vary your other ingredients to taste.

Braaied Fish Pate (Snoek and Angelfish)

Makes about 250 g pate

Ingredients:

Leftover braaied fish

Sour cream

Mayonnaise

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. De bone the fish, and crumble the fish into smaller pieces. Make sure you get ALL the bones out, as you don't want to choke people. This is the most time consuming stage, but it's worth it, I promise!
2. Put all the deboned fish into a dish, and add a heaped spoon of sour cream, and 2 spoons of mayo.
3. Whizz all of it together with a stick blender (or put the whole lot in a food processor and whizz there).
4. Scrape down the sides, and add more sour cream or mayo, blending until you get the desired consistency. I like mine a bit thicker, and use it as a spread for bread, but you might want it a little thinner to use as a dip with chips!

And there you have it! Easy, quick, and a wonderful use for leftover fish!

Enjoy!

PS. Please forgive the absolute lack of pictures on this.. I couldn't find anything on the web that worked, and although I had the best intentions of photographing it, it was all finished before I had the chance. There'll be a next time, so I'll take photos then (yes, even with my bad photography) and I'll repost it then. Sorry!

Sweet Sticky Chicken and Blue Cheese Sauce

Hi there!

{Image source: Oakmonster, flickr}

So I had EVERY intention of making my risotto last night for the twitter #RisottoOff, but then I got tired. And lazy. And I couldn't get visions of sticky chicken out of my head. And we had leftover potato bake to eat. So sue me, I didn't make what I'd planned. SUCH a rebel.

And while I was thinking about the sticky chicken, I remembered that last months Fresh Living Magazine insert (Fresh Ideas) there was a sticky chicken recipe. So as usual, I looked at the recipe looong and haaard, and then I did my own thing. It's a curse, I tell ya. Their version looked fantastic, and my version was pretty amazing too. The hubby and I were licking our fingers and making those mmmmmm sounds of delight, so I'm pretty sure you'll like this one. And the blue cheese sauce I made to go with it? Well, I'll add that in as a bonus, because the sticky chicken just wouldn't be the same without it!

This is more of a method than a recipe. I mostly tossed things together, and tasted it, and added other things. So go wild! You want some spice? Add a pinch of chilli flakes, cumin or cayenne pepper. Want it fruitier? Mix in some pineapple juice. This is a flexible dish, so be creative with what you want... And with that, I give you:

{Image source: wwny, flickr}

Sweet Sticky Chicken
Served 2, with leftovers

Ingredients:
Chicken pieces (I used 5 chicken drumsticks)
Barbeque sauce
Chutney
Juice of 1 orange
2 tsp brown sugar
1 heaped tsp finely minced garlic
Salt and fresh black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
2. Cut 2 deep slashes into each piece of chicken, more if its a big piece, like a thigh or a breast. This helps the marinade/sauce mixture penetrate more deeply.
3. Mix all the ingredients together in an oven proof dish, large enough to hold the chicken pieces.
4. Put each piece of chicken into the dish with the mixture, rolling the pieces around in the mixture to ensure even coating.
5. When all are in, pop the whole lot into the oven, but don't run away! You'll need to keep turning the chicken, to avoid it drying out in the oven. I turned my pieces every 10 minutes or so for about 30-40 minutes.
6. Then turn the grill on, and grill for a few minutes, or until the chicken is sticky and slightly caramelised.

Blue Cheese Sauce

{Image source: Oakmonster, flickr}

Ingredients:
130 ml sour cream
2/3 wedge of blue veined cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
A little milk to thin if necessary

Method:

1. Put the blue cheese and sour cream into a dish. I have a smoothie cup thing that came with my stick blender that's quite good for this.
2. Using the stick blender, whizz the two together until combined. This will both integrate the blue cheese into the sour cream, and thin the sour cream slightly.
3. Dribble in a little milk if the mixture seems too thick, and add salt and pepper to taste. I only added some pepper, since my blue cheese was quite salty

Serve the chicken with a mixed salad and the blue cheese sauce for dipping. This is rich, yes, but delicious, and quite fast! While the chicken is cooking, you can make the blue cheese sauce and salad, and by the time all that has come together, you're good to go.

Enjoy!

Twitter: Risotto Off

Hi!

{Image source}

So, as usual some of us were talking on twitter yesterday, and the subject of risotto came up. Claudz and I were both thinking of making it last night, and while we were talking, Marisa got interested. Before long, we had a #RisottoOff on our hands!

Rules are as follows:

1. You have to have made the risotto yourself.
2. You need to post the risotto between today (Tuesday 28 September 2010) and next Tuesday (5 October 2010).
3. Please link to this post.
4. Have fun!

That is all! Within the next week, we'll all be cooking and comparing notes on our risottos. As you know, this is on my #30before30 list

Creamy Spring Tagliatelle

Morning!

{Image source}

Spring is in the air here in the Southern hemisphere, and although we may not always think so, summer is on its way! With the changing seasons, I start to want more fresh veggies and less of the warm, yummy comfort foods I craved over winter. However, spring isn't without its ups and downs, so while we may have fresh spring veggies around, it sometimes feels decidedly colder than it should! Last night it was freezing, and I wanted something warm, but with a spring feel to it, to get me in the mood. Add to that my new amazing veggie box from The Ethical Co-op, and we were away!

{Image source}

This pasta was born from my ignorance in how to prepare asparagus. I've just started buying a weekly organic veggie box from The Ethical Co-op and in it I got a bunch of things I've never used before. You'll have noticed that I tend to stick to the same foods, although I prepare them differently. This is partly habit, and partly just what's available at my local shop. With the veggie box, I pay a flat fee, and get a mixed box of seasonal, organic veggies. I don't choose what goes in, so I'm forced to find a way to use what comes in the box. This last week, I got asparagus, Swiss chard and mangetout, along with some others, and I've never cooked with in my life! So google to the rescue, and I figured things out.. And boy, am I glad I did! This was fresh, tasty, creamy and delicious! I hope you like it..

Creamy Spring Tagliatelle
Serves 3

Ingredients:
1 bunch of fine, early spring asparagus (about as much as you can hold in your hand, while your fingers can touch your thumb
1/2 a pack of mangetout (say, about 10)
4-6 leaves of Swiss chard, depending on size
1 onion, chopped finely
1 handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tsp minced garlic
Half a pack of tagliatelle
100-150ml cream (I use reduced fat, and it was fine)
Blue cheese (I cut 2 sides off a wedge)
Grated Parmesan (to taste)
Reserved pasta water
Salt and black pepper to taste

{Image source}

Method:

1. If you have dried pasta, put that on to cook so long, as it'll be the thing that takes the longest.
2. Prepare your asparagus and mangetout, but breaking off the woody/stalky ends, and breaking into pieces. This early season asparagus wasn't very woody at all, so I just broke off a centimeter or so, and the mangetout, I just broke off the stalk.
3. Separate the tips of the asparagus, as they will not need as much cooking as the stalks.
4. Slice the chard into more manageable pieces, and set all the greens aside.
5. Slice the onion, and fry in a little oil on a medium pan, until the onion is soft, but not very coloured.
6. Add the garlic, and stir, then add the cherry tomatoes. Fry for another couple of minutes.
7. Add the cream, and allow to heat through, letting the cream thicken, and reduce a little. Add the blue cheese and Parmesan, and stir to melt.
8. When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving as much of the cooking liquid as possible.
9. Put the asparagus stalks, chard and mangetout into a strainer or steamer and lower into the cooking water. 
10. Cook for a minute, then add the asparagus tips, and cook for a further minute. Remove from the water, but don't throw the water away yet.
11. Add the cooked greens to the onion and cream mixture, and stir to mix.
12. Add the tagliatelle to the same pot, and stir, mixing it into the cream and veggies. If there is not enough liquid, spoon some over from the pasta pot. The starch from the cooked pasta will help make a lovely, silky, creamy sauce for the pasta.

Serve in a bowl, with plenty of cracked, black pepper and Parmesan cheese!

Restaurant Review: Pepenero

Hi lovelies!

So you know I eat out a lot, right? Well, one place I've been kinda keeping under my hat is this jewel, but since my favourite season to go is ending, I figure it's safe now, right? And who knows, maybe it'll become your favourite summer hangout..

What's a bit funny is that, although the boy and I have been going to Pepenero for months, I was asked by them recently to write a review. And I though, yeah. I like that place, why haven't I done a review? And then I realised. Because I didn't want to share (shame on me). So here we are, and now I'm sharing. We can still be friends, right?

You'll thank me for this: I'm talking panoramic sea views, a comfy, covered and shaded outside areas, incredible cocktails and quality food. Right? I wasn't talking rubbish, was I? You can see why I kept this one? OK. To sweeten the deal, they offered pretty good winter specials: R129 seafood platter (big enough for 2), half price on selected sushi (incl. the salmon roses, YEAH!), and R21 cocktails. Ok, there are more specials, but the boy and I are creatures of habit. We had that the first time, and we've had variations on the same theme every time we go there. See, we don't eat fish much (there's not much fish on this ere blog, is there? My bad), so when we crave it, here we go.

And this special is coming to an end. At the end of this month (September, in case you're confused). Click here for their specials, and choose specials.

Anyway, the restaurant is plush, it's comfy, it's fancy and fab, and you really want to spend a good Sunday afternoon, holed up there, loving the view, the cocktails and the food. Because this gem is the reason we love Cape Town. Good food, beautiful people, incredible sunsets. And you know why I love to go there in winter? Because on a cold, blustery day, you can sit inside the panoramic window, warm and fuzzy with your cocktails and your boy, and watch the stormy seas go wild. Yeah. I'm weird like that.

The food is great quality, the seafood and the sushi are fresh, and (after having visited with family), I'm assured that the steak is tasty. The menu is predominantly Italian, with a lot of pastas and Italian main meals, along with seafood and sushi. The wine list is extensive, though (for me) on the pricey side. The half price cocktails, however, are a steal. Have the Sexy Pepper, I always do.

But don't take my word for it. Get thee to Pepenero, especially before the winter special runs out!

PS. Book on the weekends.
PPS. I received nothing for doing this review. They asked, and I realised it was coming anyways. I was not paid or comped for anything, this is a genuine reflection of my experiences.

Contact:
Phone: 021 439 9027
Address:  No 1 Two Oceans Beach, Bay Road, Mouille Point, Cape Town, 8001

**All images stolen without permission from the Pepenero site. I don't have a camera. Sorry guys!**

Mock Oxtail (Slow Cooker)

Hi there!

{Image source}

So, it's been an unforgivably long time since my last post. My apologies, you know you just have those weeks sometimes? Well, I had one last week. But nevermind, I'm back this week with a corker! You might be wondering about the title, so let me tell you a little story..

Last week, while shopping with the boy, I spied a package in the meat section that looked like heaven! I leaped on it, and squealed 'Oxtail!'. The kilo price was LOW (R25 for my locals), and I was keen. Immediately I had daydreams of red wine, rosemary and garlic simmering gently all day, and I was a goner. 2 packages in the trolley, and we were headed for the till, congratulating ourselves (OK, I was congratulating MYSELF) on our incredible buy.

Fast forward a few days, and I've gotten totally overexcited and invited friends (hi Marisa and TheHusband) over for oxtail, and I started worrying that there wouldn't be enough! Can't have that with two hungry boys in the house! So I scuttled back to the shop, only to find, to my horror, that the kilo price more than doubled in 2 days! So bought some stewing beef, consoling myself that I had gotten in before they had gotten greedy.... and went home to discover that I had, in actual fact, bought Ostrich Neck. Yes, my friends. Extra Lean Ostrich Neck (I saw the O and the X and came up with oxtail, go figure..)

So. That is why this dish is known as mock oxtail, since it was actually Ostrich Neck and Beef. Ah well. After doing some considerable last minute research, (among them this post from Homemade Heaven, which was invaluable) I discovered that Ostrich Neck is actually the lesser known, but much leaner counterpart to oxtail. Also tough, it requires long, slow cooking, and can be cooked in much the same flavours as oxtail. The clincher, however, is that ostrich is MUCH leaner than oxtail, and is much better for you than oxtail (apart from being so much cheaper!) So all in all, I wasn't unhappy with my erroneous purchase... though I'll have to make actual oxtail now to compare....

{Image source: cropped from original}

Mock Oxtail or Ostrich Neck Stew

Ingredients:
1-2 kg ostrich neck (or oxtail, or a mix of ostrich and beef), excess fat trimmed off
1 small bunch of carrots, peeled and chopped roughly
1 onion, sliced
300 ml red wine
250 ml stock (I used veggie, but beef or lamb would be fine)
2 tsps cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 can tomato and onion mix
5 cloves garlic, chopped roughly
1 tsp origanum
1 tsp parsley
1-2 sprigs fresh rosemary (or 1 heaped tbsp dried)
Salt and pepper

Method:

1. In a hot saucepan, fry the meat in batches in a tiny bit of oil until browned on all sides.
2. Remove meat from the pan, and set aside.
3. Lower the heat, and add some more oil, and fry the onion until soft.
4. Add the spices and fry for a minute in the oil, then add the herbs and mix.
5. Add the tomato and onion, and heat through.
6. While the tomato mixture is heating, peel and roughly chop the carrots, and arrange them in a layer at the bottom of the slow cooker.
7. Arrange the meat pieces over the carrots, and salt and pepper the meat liberally (I forgot this step, and the food was quite undersalted. I added salt in at the end, but it would've been better here.)
8. Pour the wine, stock and tomato mixture over the meat and carrots.
9. Turn the slow cooker to High for the first 3-4 hours, then low until cooked. (I put mine on at 10.30am, and put it on low. When it seemed to have done very little in the first two hours, I turned it up to High and went out. I came back at about 4.30-5ish, and turned it down to low, and went out again. It was pretty much done at 7.30ish when we got back, and all I had to do was make a salad and some cheesy mashed potato to go with it.)

Serve with mashed potatoes, rice, or even crusty bread - anything to soak up the yummy, winey, garlicky gravy, and some steamed veggies or a salad, to cut through the richness of the meat. I guarantee you your guests will be raving, and it'll look like you slaved over the stove all day, and in reality, you slaved for half an hour, and let the slow cooker do the rest!

Now, that's my kind of meal!

Enjoy!

Baby Potato Salad

 Well hello!
(I imagined that in a Mrs Doubtfire voice.. strange)

Anyway, who'd like to know about the best potato salad I've ever made? One that prompted my new hubby to tell me that he likes my cooking best of everyone's? You  do? You're sure? You really want to know about a potato salad that was easy, tangy and delicious? Oh alright then, you've twisted my arm.
{Image source}
With the warmer weather we've been having in Cape Town just lately, Saturday night was braai night (barbeque for my non-South African lovelies), and we were in the mood for the full shebang! We wanted lamb chops, wors (local beef sausage), potato salad and salad. BUT (and that's a big but. hehe), I didn't want to spend the whole time in the kitchen peeling potatoes, while my dear boy stood in the yard managing the fire. So ordinary potato salad was out. 

While in the store, I suddenly remembered reading somewhere that baby potatoes and creme fraiche made a delicious potato salad, and I was interested. Then I remembered the new tarragon infused mustard I bought the other night, and I was hooked.

I'm talking baby potato, apple, sour cream, mustard, and all manner of wonderful things. Stay tuned for the tangiest, most delicious potato salad ever:

{Image source}

Baby Potato Salad (National Braai Day, here we come!)

Ingredients:

1 pack of baby (new) potatoes (500g?)

250ml sour cream

1 tbsp tarragon mustard (if you don't have this, it isn't the end of the world. Just use any mustard)

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

1-2 pickled cucumbers

Couple of sprigs of fresh parsley (or other herb)

*1 tsp biltong powder

*2 tsp grated parmesan

Half an apple, diced

*optional

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes in some salted water until cooked. Drain, and leave to cool.
2. In a blender/food processor/smoothie maker/bowl/whatever (I used a stick blender, and the tall smoothie cup thing it came with), put the herbs, mustard, pickles, biltong powder and parmesan, and blitz until combined. I added a little of the juice from the pickle jar, to loosen everything up, and add a lot more flavour.
3. When combined, remove the blender blade, and pour/spoon in the sour cream.
4. Stir to combine with the mustard mixture, and taste. Add some more mustard/cheese whatever, to get it to your desired taste.
5. When the potatoes are cooked and cooled, chop them roughly (I just run a knife through each one once or twice, roughly quartering them while they're still in the bowl), and pour the sour cream mixture over. Don't pour it all intially, you don't want soup. Just cover the potatoes and stir it in; you can add more, but you can't really take any out!
6. Add the diced apple, and stir to combine. Taste, and adjust seasonings, adding some cracked black pepper, and maybe a touch of salt.

Serve either lukewarm, or from the fridge, both are amazing! And it's even better the next day, so feel free to make it in advance. And make loads! As the hubby says, "There's no such thing as too much potato salad!"

PS. And do you know? I can't believe I didn't do this, but some crispy, chopped bacon would go down a treat in here. Just sayin'.

PPS. Stay tuned, cos tomorrow I'm starting my posts for the Ready Steady Cook challenge! As usual, I've left everything to the last minute, and I've got to start cooking tonight. Wish me luck!

Cottage Pie

Morning dearies!

So, it's been a while, I know. I've had a spot of bloggers block, and although I've been cooking the same as usual, nothing really grabbed me enough to share it with you. So forgive the silence, but it's better than boring food, right? I haven't even been to any really interesting restaurants, so I can't even share that! (Blame that on post-wedding brokeness.. Anyone want to sponsor me a dinner at La Mouette? I'm desperate to try their Spring tasting menu!!)

{Image source: Josh & Joanna, Picasa}

Anyway, on a less begging note, I was sitting at home yesterday with limited time and limited resources. I had some frozen beef mince, some potatoes and some random veggies in the fridge. My initial thought was to make spaghetti bolognaise (my old standby, I can make it with my eyes closed!). But I thought I'd make my new hubby something new - and when I say new, I mean old-favourite-but-new-to-me. And with the potatoes, my version of Cottage Pie was born!

I'd always worried about the difference between Cottage and Shepherds Pie's, and I was never sure which was which. A short search this morning revealed what (should have been) obvious: shepherds herd sheep - hence a lamb-based pie. Anything with beef and mashed potato in pie form, is therefore a Cottage Pie. There we go, today's conundrum SOLVED! Yay for google.

Also, my sister (who I lived with until March) has issues with the mince-and-mashed-potatoes thing - there's something about it that bothers her. So although I love it, I've never actually made a Cottage Pie. So I kept it simple - a bolognaise sauce, kept slightly drier (as it doesn't have to coat the spaghetti), delicious mashed potatoes, and cheese. Lots of cheese..

{Image source: Ethan Anderson, Picasa - cropped from original)

Cheesy Cottage Pie

Ingredients:

3-4 potatoes, peeled and chopped

500g beef mince

1 can tomato and onion mix or chopped tomatoes

1 onion, sliced

1 tin tomato paste

2 carrots, diced

200ml frozen peas

Grated cheese (enough to make the mash cheesy and to put on top)

1 tsp origanum (I use dried, my herbs aren't looking good after winter)

1 tsp mixed Italian herbs

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp thyme

2 cloves garlic, minced (or 2 tsp bottled garlic)

1 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp chutney

1 bay leaf

water, in case it gets too dry (or stock, or cooking water. I parboiled the carrots in the microwave, and used that water)

Method:

1. Peel and chop your potatoes, and boil them in salty water until cooked.
2. Heat a largeish pot with a little bit of oil in it, and brown the mince, until there is no pink left, breaking up large pieces with a spoon.
3. Add the can of tomato and onion mix when the meat is browned, turn down the meat, and allow to simmer
4. Slice, and fry the onion in a separate pan, until translucent. Add the garlic towards the end, and fry until fragrant.
5. While the onion and mince are cooking, dice your carrots, and boil them in the microwave for about 5 minutes. You want them just on the slightly undercooked side, so that they finish in the pot with the mince.
6. When the carrots are finished, strain, reserving the water. Add to the pan with the onions, and stir around.
7. When the onion mix is cooked, add it to the pot with the mince, and stir it in.
8. Add all the herbs to the pot, and stir in. Keep the mince simmering, but don't let it burn.
9. By now your potatoes are probably cooked. Drain, and leave to cool for a minute.
10. Preheat the grill.
11. Mash the potatoes, with a little butter, salt and cheese. Mash to desired consistency.
12. Take the mince off the stove, and pour into a deep (I think mine was about 10cm deep) baking dish, leaving enough space at the top for the potato layer.
13. Spoon the mashed potatoes in, a little at a time, spreading carefully with the back of a spoon, to cover the mince
14. Spread a layer of cheese over the top.
15. Pop into the preheated oven, right under the grill and watch it like a hawk so that the cheese melts, but doesn't burn. I think mine took about 5 minutes. (It was all freshly made, so it didn't need to heat through.)

Serve with some steamed broccoli, other veggies, a salad, or just on its own for some lovely, end-of-winter happiness! My boy loved it (he licked his plate, and went back for seconds, and licked the serving spoon with gusto!) And if I can do that whole thing while talking on the phone for an hour, you can do it too!

Enjoy, my lovelies!