Outrageous Ovenschotel

October 8, 2017

A perfect meal after a lazy autumnal Sunday. As the winter season is closing in on us, it is the perfect time for those hearty meals to be brought back to life. There is no better way to wash away those wintery feeling. The name typifies this, “Ovenschotel” translates directly into Oven Dish, simply throw all ingredients into one big dish, put it in the oven and after some time you’re rewarded with a super dish that can satisfy the whole family.

It may first seem that this Ovenschotel is very similar to that of the Shepherd's Pie, but once you get into details it’s fairly different. An ovenschotel uses different kinds of meat and other extras added in. This recipe takes some ideas from Gordon Ramsey, but feel free to make your own changes, depending on what veg you prefer.

The recipe will feed a family of four.

You’ll need the following ingredients;

•750 grams of lean minced beef
•400 grams of onions (cut in halves)
•3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
•2 large carrots (chopped)
•200 grams
•125 grams of mushrooms (cut in halves)
•2 tablespoons of tomato
•Half tablespoon of thyme
•Half liter of chicken stock (make it quite strong)
•2 tablespoons of flour
•75ml of worcestershire sauce
•Olive oil
•1 kg of potatoes
•2 egg yolks
•75 grams of grated cheese or parmesan
•Sea salt
•Black pepper

Method;

To start, make sure your oven is set to 200 degrees celsius, or 392 fahrenheit.

Add some olive oil to warming pan, add the minced beef and stir until the mince is starts to brown, add some salt and pepper for your personal taste. Chop your accompanying vegetables and add to the pan, mushrooms, thyme, garlic and tomato puré all should be in the pan. Let the mixture cook through until the vegetables are soft. Add in the chicken stock mixture and the flour, keep mixing until the you notice the sauce is starting to thicken. Add some worcestershire sauce for your personal taste.

While the minced beef is simmering, start cooking the potatoes. Add some salt to the boiling water and add your potatoes. Once the potatoes have cooked, take them off the heat and start mashing them, add the egg yolks first and mix in. Then add your cheese and mix in. Feel free to add some salt, pepper and butter or milk for your own taste and to make the mash more creamy.

The minced beef mixture has now had some time to simmer, make sure that everything is nicely mixed and cooked through. If so, grab yourself a large oven dish and add the mixture in. Close the top of the dish off with your mashed potatoes. Add some more cheese as a covering. Place dish into pre-warmed oven and set a time for 20-25 minutes. Keep an eye on the mashed potato cover, this should be golden brown when you take it out the oven.