Review: True To It’s Name Rich & Irresistible Co-op Mashing Potatoes...

Brr, it is getting cold outside now. It could get even colder this weekend. Some parts of Britain could be as low -5. Hopefully, in the Midlands, we will escape the worst of it. Other than Christmas, what do you enjoy in Winter? If you are like me, not a lot!!

One of the things I do love besides Christmas though at this time of year are my go-to favourite Winter foods. There is something special about a warm comforting meal. Good old-fashioned ingredients, occasionally with a modern twist. It always brings back nice childhood memories of playing in the snow. You would come in freezing cold, being drawn to that beautiful smell wafting from the kitchen.

From pies and stews, hotpots to homemade soups. Any traditional Winter food does give me a nice warm glow. My children love to come home and see whats cooking in the kitchen. Nothing quite like a homemade meal by Mum!!

My 2 youngest Children go out to school all day, then when they get home after 4pm they are straight out the door again to do some exercise.

Even though they are exercising they will often come back, saying they need warming up, so what better way than with some lovely food?!

I love to warm them up again with a nice and freshly made hot meal. Something warm, tasty and full of vitamins to keep the Winter cold's and flu's away.

Last week The Co-op asked us if we would like to take part in their Mashed Potato campaign and share one of our favourite Winter warmer recipes:

This Christmas, the Co-op is launching its first irresistible potato pack using the Lilly variety of potatoes, exclusively available in the Co-op. This variety is amazing for making mashed potatoes, with a rich, buttery taste.

We all love mashed potatoes here. Barely a day will go by where we do not have potatoes with at least one meal. They are the perfect ingredients, cheap to buy, filling, tasty, healthy and are so versatile. Whats not to like!!

Whether it is mashed, jacket, chips, boiled or even that Sunday dinner classic roasted. Perfect for more or less any dinner plate!

Mashed potatoes are our heroes though. Most of my Winter staples involve them. My advice always look for ones that are recommended great for mashing, such as these Co-op lovelies. 

I love it when my eldest two Sons come to visit, a good excuse for a Sunday roast any day of the week. Also, it is my eldest Son's job to mash the potatoes! He always mashes them to perfection. He spends ages making them nice and creamy. He will not let me serve them until they are perfectly mashed! Shame they not home more often!!

When it comes to extra vegetables though that can be another story!! My youngest two are not too keen on them. (Are any children?). So with this in mind, I like to hide plenty of them inside a nice and tasty cottage pie. This also gives the meal a lot more flavour and no one even notices they are eating more veggies too. Result!!

Loaded Veggies Cottage Pie With Co-op Irresistible Mashing Potatoes:

Serves 4

Cooking time: Around 1 hour

What You Need:

• 1.25 kg Lilly Mashing Potatoes
• 1.00 kg of Beef minced meat
• 3 Medium red onions
• 3 peppers. 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow
• 3 Large carrots
• 1 Tsp of mixed herbs
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• Splash of milk and 1 tablespoon butter for mashing potatoes
• 425 ml Instant gravy or beef stock
• 150g Mature cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper
• Side of vegetables to serve it with

Method:

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them evenly into big chunks and pop them into some cold water with a sprinkle of sea salt until ready to use. 
2. Wash, remove seeds and chop red, green yellow peppers into small chunks. Peel and chop onions up into chunks. Peel and chop carrots into large slices and then half, place all of the vegetables into a bowl and mix together.
3. Fry mince for around 10 minutes in a large frying pan. Until nice and brown, add peppers, onions and carrots fry a few more minutes. 
4. Make up the gravy. 
5. Drain the fat from the meat and vegetables well and add gravy to the pan, mixed herbs and a touch of pepper. Bring to boil then simmer for around 35 minutes. Stirring occasionally. 
6. Meanwhile, start cooking the potatoes so they are cooked at the same time as the mince.
7. Bring the pan of potatoes to boil, lower heat and simmer for around 23 minutes or until tender.
8. 10 minutes before potatoes are cooked, preheat oven to 180c.
9. Remove potatoes from heat first, drain and mash them with a little milk and butter and a pinch of salt.
10. Place the mince and vegetables in a large ovenproof dish. Spread over the mashed potatoes and sprinkle the mature cheese over the top. Pop into the oven for around 10 minutes or under a grill until the cheese has melted. 
11. Enjoy. 

About The Co-op Lilly Variety Of Potatoes:

The Co-op will launch Irresistible Mashing Potatoes in 500 stores, on October 11th. This line will be the first Irresistible potato variety that the Co-op has launched.

The variety used in the pack is the Lilly variety and that is exclusive to the Co-op. Available in 1.5kg bags, Irresistible Mashing potatoes are ideal for boiling and mashing but are equally versatile for other uses too. Use them as part of a meal, such as a topping on shepherds or fish pies or as the centrepiece of a recipe.

Co-op Irresistible Mashing Potatoes are British potatoes and grown by a small number of carefully selected growers and are available in Co-op stores from mid-October.

Co-op Irresistible Mashing Potatoes’ and available from @coopukfood

Now over to you. What are your favourite Winter warmer dinner recipes?

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