Preparation time
less than 30 minutes
Cooking time
15 mins (puree) / 1 hour (cottage pie)
Serves
8 baby portions (puree) / 2 adults, 2 older children (cottage pie)
This simple two-ingredient puree is perfect for babies who are happily eating single-ingredient purees. Even better, it can be reused to make the topping for a tasty and easy cottage pie for the rest of the family to enjoy.
by Miguel Barclay
Carrot and Potato puree
Ingredients
200g potatoes, peeled and cut into bitesized chunks
1 carrot, peeled and cut into small chunks
If making cottage pie too, you will need 1kg potatoes and 5 carrots - set aside 4/5 of the vegetables to make your pie topping
When babies first start weaning, they’re learning how to physically take the food off the spoon, taste and swallow. Lots will end up down their chin, but don’t worry too much – keep talking to them and offer them plenty of encouragement.
Method
- Put the potatoes in a saucepan and pour enough water over to cover and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down slightly and cook the potatoes for 5 minutes. Part-cover the pan with a lid to keep the heat in.
- Add the carrot and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Drain the potato and carrot over a bowl, saving some of the cooking water, and return them to the pan to dry.
- Add some of the saved cooking water, or baby's usual milk if preferred. Blend using a stick blender or mash with a potato masher or back of a fork until smooth and creamy (similar to double cream or custard texture for baby).
Tip - Babies' appetites can vary. At 6 months your baby may eat 1–2 ice cube-sized portions of food, increasing as they get older. Any leftover puree can be frozen for up to 1 month, or kept in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Cottage pie
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
400g beef mince
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp plain flour
400ml low-salt beef stock
1⁄2–1 tsp yeast extract (preferably low/no added salt)
black pepper
For the mash topping:
800g potatoes, chopped into bitesize chunks
4 carrots, chopped into bitesize chunks
30g butter or spread (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the mince, breaking it up with a fork, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until browned all over.
- Turn the heat down slightly, add the onion and carrot and cook for 7 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 1 minute.
- Add the tomato puree, then stir in the flour until everything is combined and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the stock, stir, and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the yeast extract and season with pepper. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop it sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is thick and coats the mince. Cover with a lid if the mixture looks dry, or if there is too much liquid, turn up the heat a little and cook until the sauce reduces a little.
- Meanwhile, make the puree as in the recipe above. For the adults' portion, you may like to add butter, salt and pepper and blend/mash to your own taste. While boiling your vegetables, preheat the grill to high.
- Pour the mince mixture into an ovenproof dish and spoon over the puree. Rough up the surface with a fork and brush with a little butter.
- Grill for 10–15 minutes until the top is golden and serve with your choice of green vegetables.
Tip - You could make the cottage pie up to 2 days in advance - just ignore the step about putting it under the grill and put it in the fridge at this point. When you're ready to serve, heat your oven to 200C fan/180C/Gas 6 and bake the pie for 30–35 minutes or until heated through, instead of grilling.
You could use vegetarian mince and vegetable stock if preferred. Also, this recipe is great for hiding vegetables - you could try adding peas, leeks or turnips.
You could try the cottage pie with older babies, from around 9-12 months, just make sure the texture is mushy enough!
