September 8, 2017 - twochubbycubs

Right, come on – mince and potato casserole. If there’s one thing I’m learning is that we can put all manner of fancy recipes up but the things that you lot like always have lots of cheese and starch in them. And so what? Listen, sometimes what you need is just a plate full of stodge. Have an apple afterwards to keep Mags happy, but you know what, life is for living. Whilst this dish might hasten you to the grave that bit quicker, at least you’ll go stinking of cheddar.

Just a recipe post after yesterday’s lengthy, girthy entry – though I want to have a quick whinge about public displays of affection. I’m not some miserable, sexless oaf who can’t stand to see people happy but seriously, have a bromide smoothie and literally calm your tits. Newcastle is awash with students once more and the walk home takes me through Leazes Park, where I consider it a ‘good’ day if I’ve only managed to see one person being penetrated by another. I feel like I’m inadvertently dogging, walking past couples rolling around on the grass or bouncing on each other’s laps on the memorial benches. I get it, you’re in love, blah blah, but that love will fade and you’ll grow fat and tired and you’ll look back at that time you were being given a shocker* by the swan-pond by someone with dickies and a guitar with regret. Trust me.

Paul and I will often hold hands, safe in the knowledge that few people would dare say anything because, until one of us speaks, we look faintly butch and have a significant weight advantage on most decent folks. But that’s generally where it ends – I’m not going to be giving him a rusty trombone in the bus-stop just so people can SEE OUR LOVE. Which is what I think about 80% of PDA is – making sure everyone else is made to feel uncomfortable, or jealous, or put out that they don’t have love. It makes me squicky. It’s just not the way we do things here. You must understand, I’m about as far from being a prude as one can be without getting arrested, but even so.

Anyway, come now, let’s do the recipe. Mince and potato casserole: this makes four massive portions.

Oh and a shocker? Easy. Two in the beaver, one taking her fever. Cheers!

mince and potato casserole

to make mince and potato casserole you will need:

500g lean beef mince
4 large potatoes (there’s no need to peel them, but give them a good scrub)
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, deseeded and diced finely
2 garlic cloves, minced (got one of these yet? why not?)
160g reduced-fat cheddar cheese, grated (4x HeA)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tin Campbells condensed cream of chicken soup (14.5 syns)
100ml skimmed milk (2 syns)
1 tbsp fat free natural yoghurt

to make mince and potato casserole you should:

bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the potatoes – parboil for five minutes, and then drain and slice into pound-coin thick slices
meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°c and spray a 9″ by 13″ dish with a bit of oil
whisk together the soup, salt, pepper, garlic powder, milk and yoghurt and set aside
next, heat a little oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat
add the mince and cook until no pink meat remains
add the onion, garlic and green pepper and cook for a few more minutes and the peppers have softened
next, you’ll need to layer the ingredients in the pyrex dish in the following order:
- one third of the potatoes;
- half the mince;
- one third of the soup;
- one third of the cheese;
- one third of the potatoes
- rest of the mince;
- one third of the soup;
- one third of the cheese;
- rest of the potatoes;
- rest of the soup; and finally,
- rest of the cheese.
cover with foil and bake in the oven for an hour
remove the foil and bake for a further thirty minutes
serve, and eat!