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Pastel de papas
Beef and mashed potato pie
Pastel de papas: spiced beef mince with olives and egg under a golden mashed potato crust
Midweek family dinners in Buenos Aires often come out of the oven in a deep dish: pastel de papas, the Argentine answer to cottage pie. The beef picadillo is cooked the way it is for empanadas, with onion, red pepper, paprika and cumin, then studded with green olives, chopped boiled egg and sometimes raisins for a sweet-salty bite, all under a thick, creamy mash browned with cheese or sugar on top. It is a dish of school lunches and Sunday leftovers, served with a green salad. Mince must reach 71 °C, which it will long before the potato crust browns; just make sure no pink remains when you cook the filling. A runny filling is the usual letdown, as it seeps into the mash, so cook it until the pan is almost dry. Chef's tip: sprinkle a teaspoon of sugar over the mash before baking, as many Argentine cooks do; it caramelises into a thin, crackly golden crust.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionsfinely chopped
- 1 red pepperfinely chopped
- 1 ½ lb beef mince
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 ½ tsp salthalf for the filling, half for the potatoes
- 2 ⅞ oz green olivespitted and sliced
- 3 eggshard-boiled and chopped
- 1 ⅜ oz raisins (optional)
For the topping
- 2 ⅞ lb potatoespeeled and cut into chunks
- 1 ¾ oz butter
- ¾ cup whole milkhot
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp sugar
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Boil 2 ⅞ lb potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes, until a knife slides in easily.
20 minStep 2: Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and cook 2 onions and 1 red pepper for 8 minutes, until soft.
8 minStep 3: Turn the heat up, add 1 ½ lb beef mince and cook, breaking it up, for 8–10 minutes, until browned with no pink left and the juices have nearly evaporated. Minced beef should reach 160°F.
10 minStep 4: Stir in 2 tsp sweet paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp dried chilli flakes and half of ¾ tsp salt and cook for 1 minute. Take off the heat and stir in 2 ⅞ oz green olives, 3 eggs and 1 ⅜ oz raisins if using.
1 minStep 5: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Drain the potatoes and mash them with 1 ¾ oz butter, ¾ cup whole milk, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg and the rest of ¾ tsp salt until smooth, then beat in 1 egg yolk.
Step 6: Spread the filling in a 30 x 20 cm baking dish, spread the mash over the top and rough it up with a fork. Sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar.
Step 7: Bake for 25 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp at the edges and the filling bubbles. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
25 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 530 kcal
- Protein
- 32 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 28 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pastel de papas take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of red pepper?
- Any colour of bell pepper, same amount.
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