South Of The Border Essential Mexican Cottage Pie Recipes

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beef or meat alternative. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, breaking up the beef or meat alternative, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the lentils and sprinkle with the flour; stir to combine.
• Whisk together the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk in the mushroom or beef broth and add to the pan, scraping any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, season with more salt and pepper if needed, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the topping.
• For the topping: Cover the potatoes and garlic with a few inches of cold water into a large pot. Season well with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, roughly mash the veg. Add the milk, butter and cream cheese and mash until the desired texture is reached. Season with more salt.
• Stir the frozen veg into the filling and remove from the heat. Top with the mash, spreading it into an even layer and scatter with the grated Cheddar. Transfer the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet just in case there is any bubble over and bake for until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Allow the pie to cool slightly before serving.

SUNNY'S EASY BREAKFAST COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the bottom layer: In a large pan on medium-high heat, add the oil, sausage and chorizo. Using a wooden spatula or, even better, a wired and wavy potato masher, break up the chorizo and sausage until they are homogenous and resemble ground beef in its tiniest form. Once broken down, continue to cook until the sausage is cooked through and orange fat is rendered from the chorizo, 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon to drain off excess fat, transfer the mixture to an 8-by-8-inch casserole dish.
• For the middle layer: In the same pan with the remaining fat from the meat, quickly add and saute the onions and peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper until tender and the moisture from being frozen is cooked out, 5 to 8 minutes. As before, use a slotted spoon to transfer the pepper/onion mixture to the casserole dish, draining off excess fat, and evenly spread this mixture over the top of the meat layer.
• Next, evenly layer the mozzarella cheese over the vegetables. Then use the American cheese slices to create another layer, pressing down once done to make everything level and compact.
• For the top layer: In a large bowl, add the hash browns, butter, steak rub and remaining fat from the pan. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Sprinkle this layer on top of the cheese and gently press down, but not too tight so steam can escape.
• Bake, uncovered, until the top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve with a shake of hot sauce or sunny-side up eggs over the top.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER PIE

Steps:

• In a saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil till tender but not brown.
• Stir in chili powder, cumin, and salt.
• Cook for 1 minutes more.
• Cool.
• Stir in beans, cooked rice, cheese, milk, and eggs.
• Spray a 10-inch pie place or quiche dish with nonstick coating.
• Spoon mixture into pie place and bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or till center is set.
• Let stand 10 minutes.
• If desired, sprinkle with green pepper and serve with salsa.

S.O.B. (SOUTH OF THE BORDER) CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Bring a small saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook until almost tender, about 6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Crumble the turkey in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook and stir until evenly brown; drain. Add onion to browned turkey meat and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, gravy mix and chili powder until combined then mix in the corn and macaroni. Cover; reduce heat to low and simmer, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Serve on a bed of tortilla chips topped with shredded lettuce and sour cream.

SOUTH OF THE BORDER SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roast Poblanos under broiler skin side up until skins are black. Seal in a paper bag, let sit 10 minutes.
• Brown ground beef, strain and rinse. Add taco seasoning and 3 tablespoons of water and simmer until thickened.
• Warm refried beans, add 1 cup salsa and 1 cup cheese stirring until melted.
• Spray 9x9 baking pan with cooking spray. Peel skins from Poblanos and arrange in bottom of pan.
• Drain hominy well and pour on top of peppers.
• Sprinkle crushed tortillas on top of hominy.
• Spread refried bean mixture on top of chips.
• Cover refried beans with remaining cheese.
• Sprinkle black olives and sliced onions over top of cheese.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Turn on broiler for last couple of minutes to brown the cheese.
• Serve with sour cream and chopped tomatoes.