Wendy Barrie is Scottish Thistle Award Regional Ambassador
Hygge nights
With nights drawing in we all need a touch of #hygge, so light those candles and cook some wonderful Scotch beef and root vegetables. We have fabulous Musselburgh leeks growing in our kitchen garden; however, our carrots were a little less successful this year so thank goodness for farm shops!
Here’s my recipe for cottage pie – you’ll need 350g beef mince; a drizzle of rapeseed oil; 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped; 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced; 1 medium leek, washed and chopped; 1 generous tsp of marjoram; sea salt and freshly milled pepper; 10g cornflour dissolved in a cup of cold water; 4 large potatoes, peeled – Maris Pipers are good; a generous knob of butter and splash of cream for your mash.
Sauté mince in pan with a dash of oil, adding onion. Cook until onion soft and mince browned.
Add carrot, leek and seasonings. Add a cup of hot water and simmer for 15mins until carrot is soft, stirring from time to time to prevent sticking. Add a little water as necessary.
Meanwhile roughly cut potatoes into chunks and cook in a pan of boiling salted water until soft. Drain and mash, adding butter and cream.
Finally add blended cornflour to cooked mince mix and bring to boil to thicken juices. Adjust consistency with water as required.
Place mince in base of ovenware dish and spread top with potato. Place under grill to toast potatoes. Alternatively, chill and reheat another day, taking care to ensure the dish is thoroughly reheated, with potato toasted and mince bubbling. Serve with seasonal greens. Serves 4.
Recipes & Photos © Wendy Barrie
Songs to cook hygge to – Nothing Else Matters, Metallica
My lovely son-in-law played this at our wedding.
Wendy is Scottish Thistle Award Regional Ambassador (2018/19) for Central, Tayside & Fife.
Founder & Director of award-winning www.scottishfoodguide.scot & www.scottishcheesetrail.com Leader in Scotland for Slow Food Ark of Taste & Member of Slow Food Cooks Alliance.
