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Cheesy Cottage Pie (in the Ninja Foodi)

A timeless classic that is loved by families from all corners of the country, but we all have variations of the ingredients, depending on which part of the country we live in. This recipe takes it up a notch by using the modern convenience of the Ninja Foodi to Pressure cook the potatoes before cooking the mince in a more traditional way.....you can PC the mince if you prefer but I didn't feel it was necessary, as I like to allow the flavours to develop using the Sear/Saute function. The flavours of the seasoning mix are subtle but give depth to the dish, which is topped off with creamy mash and sharp cheddar. It's a very adaptable recipe- I didn't have a whole pepper so used a mix of 3- red,green, yellow. I also used a mix of cheeses- mature white and red cheddar that I had in the freezer. I used 1/2 a bag of pre diced carrot n swede too as I found it lurking in the freezer.
I'm sure your family will be requesting this to be added to your menu rotation. Why not give this a try and let us know how you get on in the comments below. We love to hear your feedback. E x

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Yields4 Servings
Prep Time10 minsCook Time45 minsTotal Time55 mins
 1 kg Potatoes
 250 ml Water (hot)
 1 Chicken stock cube
 250 g Beef Mince
 2 Onions
 1 Garlic clove
 1 tsp Thyme (dried)
 ½ tbsp Rosemary (dried)
 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
 2 Celery stalks
 100 g Carrot & Swede (diced)
 100 g Porridge Oats
 300 ml Beef stock
 2 pinches Black pepper
 1 Pepper (handful of mixed )
 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
 1 tsp Sugar
 1 tbsp Gravy granules
 3 tbsp Cream cheese
 20 ml Milk
 150 g Cheddar Cheese
 3 Sprigs of Coriander
 1 Spring onion
 1 tbsp Butter
1

Prep:-
Peel and chop the potatoes.
Peel and dice the onion
Slice the celery
Dice the pepper
Dice the garlic
Grate the cheese
Mix up your seasoning mix.
Shred the Coriander
Dice the Spring onion.

2

Add the potatoes, hot water and chicken stock cube to the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Make sure to turn the valve to seal.
Pre heat will be 8 mns if using hot water.
(Could possibly have cut the potatoes smaller and reduced the PC to 10 minutes)

3

Once done, slow release for 2minutes, then move the valve to vent and do a quick release of pressure.
Turn the foodi off. Move the slider to the right and open the lid.
Strain the potatoes in a colander.
Gently break apart the potato chunks to allow the steam to escape. Cover and set aside till later.

4

Turn the Ninja Foodi on and set to 5 (high) Sear/Sauté. Allow to heat up for a minute or two and add butter and diced onions. Stirring for 2-3 mns, until the onions begin to cook.

5

Add in the minced beef, seasoning blend- thyme, rosemary, pepper, garlic, and the Worcestershire sauce. Continue to sauté until ¾ of the way done, breaking the beef up as you stir.
Be sure to scrape the bottom of the Foodi to remove the browned bits, they add flavor to the gravy.

6

Add the celery, then the carrot and swede mix. Continue to cook the beef mixture for about 5-10 minutes or until carrots are just becoming soft

7

Add the Porridge and stir through then add the beef stock

8

Add the pepper(s) - I used a mix of red,green and yellow but you can totally use just one.

9

Reduce the heat to 3 (medium) sauté and cook until the vegetables are cooked through, add the gravy granules and stir till blended and the sauce has thickened.

10

Keep an eye on the mixture and if it is boiling, reduce the heat to low.

11

While the mince is cooking, mash your potatoes.
Add the Cream cheese to the potatoes and use a masher to mash them until smooth. Tip- Beat them with a wooden spoon to add air and make them lighter.
Add a little of the milk to thin them down if needed.

12

Spoon the potatoes onto the beef, spread over with a fork making sure to cover it completely. Use the fork to make ridges -this holds the cheese.. Sprinkle over the grated cheese.

13

Close the lid turn the dial to Airfry -180° for 5-10 minutes until the cheese bubbles and has melted. Increase the temp if you want a crispier topping.

14

Sprinkle over the coriander and spring onion. Add a pinch of S&P.

15

Serve hot with green beans and some bread and butter to mop up the gravy.

16

Tip:- Make the beef gravy quite thick so the potatoes don't sink. You can always add more gravy once it's served up.

17

Easy Swaps:-
Beef Mince for Pork/Lamb/Chicken/
Beef stock for Vegetable
Carrot and Swede for any Vegetable-courgette, broccoli etc
Potatoes for Cauliflower
Oats for Lentils
Thyme/Rosemary for Mixed herbs
Cream cheese for butter
Coriander for Parsley.
Butter for Oil

18

This can also be done using the traditional methods of hob and oven- just adjust the timings of the potatoes.

Category

Ingredients

 1 kg Potatoes
 250 ml Water (hot)
 1 Chicken stock cube
 250 g Beef Mince
 2 Onions
 1 Garlic clove
 1 tsp Thyme (dried)
 ½ tbsp Rosemary (dried)
 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
 2 Celery stalks
 100 g Carrot & Swede (diced)
 100 g Porridge Oats
 300 ml Beef stock
 2 pinches Black pepper
 1 Pepper (handful of mixed )
 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
 1 tsp Sugar
 1 tbsp Gravy granules
 3 tbsp Cream cheese
 20 ml Milk
 150 g Cheddar Cheese
 3 Sprigs of Coriander
 1 Spring onion
 1 tbsp Butter

Directions

1

Prep:-
Peel and chop the potatoes.
Peel and dice the onion
Slice the celery
Dice the pepper
Dice the garlic
Grate the cheese
Mix up your seasoning mix.
Shred the Coriander
Dice the Spring onion.

2

Add the potatoes, hot water and chicken stock cube to the inner pot of the Ninja Foodi and set to high pressure for 15 minutes. Make sure to turn the valve to seal.
Pre heat will be 8 mns if using hot water.
(Could possibly have cut the potatoes smaller and reduced the PC to 10 minutes)

3

Once done, slow release for 2minutes, then move the valve to vent and do a quick release of pressure.
Turn the foodi off. Move the slider to the right and open the lid.
Strain the potatoes in a colander.
Gently break apart the potato chunks to allow the steam to escape. Cover and set aside till later.

4

Turn the Ninja Foodi on and set to 5 (high) Sear/Sauté. Allow to heat up for a minute or two and add butter and diced onions. Stirring for 2-3 mns, until the onions begin to cook.

5

Add in the minced beef, seasoning blend- thyme, rosemary, pepper, garlic, and the Worcestershire sauce. Continue to sauté until ¾ of the way done, breaking the beef up as you stir.
Be sure to scrape the bottom of the Foodi to remove the browned bits, they add flavor to the gravy.

6

Add the celery, then the carrot and swede mix. Continue to cook the beef mixture for about 5-10 minutes or until carrots are just becoming soft

7

Add the Porridge and stir through then add the beef stock

8

Add the pepper(s) - I used a mix of red,green and yellow but you can totally use just one.

9

Reduce the heat to 3 (medium) sauté and cook until the vegetables are cooked through, add the gravy granules and stir till blended and the sauce has thickened.

10

Keep an eye on the mixture and if it is boiling, reduce the heat to low.

11

While the mince is cooking, mash your potatoes.
Add the Cream cheese to the potatoes and use a masher to mash them until smooth. Tip- Beat them with a wooden spoon to add air and make them lighter.
Add a little of the milk to thin them down if needed.

12

Spoon the potatoes onto the beef, spread over with a fork making sure to cover it completely. Use the fork to make ridges -this holds the cheese.. Sprinkle over the grated cheese.

13

Close the lid turn the dial to Airfry -180° for 5-10 minutes until the cheese bubbles and has melted. Increase the temp if you want a crispier topping.

14

Sprinkle over the coriander and spring onion. Add a pinch of S&P.

15

Serve hot with green beans and some bread and butter to mop up the gravy.

16

Tip:- Make the beef gravy quite thick so the potatoes don't sink. You can always add more gravy once it's served up.

17

Easy Swaps:-
Beef Mince for Pork/Lamb/Chicken/
Beef stock for Vegetable
Carrot and Swede for any Vegetable-courgette, broccoli etc
Potatoes for Cauliflower
Oats for Lentils
Thyme/Rosemary for Mixed herbs
Cream cheese for butter
Coriander for Parsley.
Butter for Oil

18

This can also be done using the traditional methods of hob and oven- just adjust the timings of the potatoes.

Cheesy Cottage Pie (in the Ninja Foodi)

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