Wintry Sausage Pie

Okay so not really a pie since there's no pastry, but in the "cottage pie" sense of the word. Following the success of both the sausage casserole last week (with reduced fat sausages, which turned out to be surprisingly good), and the squash and turkey bake, I was inspired (well, forced, since all we had was root veg and sausages) to make....THIS.

The whole thing is 32 ProPoints, so if you have three generous portions (I'm looking at you Mom) that'd be 11 ProPoints each. Now, this is what I made it with since this was what was in the fridge/cupboards, but just go with what you've got lurking.

1 pack of ASDA reduced-fat sausages
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
3-4 smallish leeks
1 small bulb of fennel
3-4 sticks of celery
Small pack of mushrooms
Yellow pepper, diced
2 courgettes, diced
1 small onion

...seriously, whatever you've got.

For flavouring...okay, brace yourselves.
1 tsp Marmite, dropped in with some boiling water

1 Bramley apple (or a nice eating apple), peeled, chunked, dropped in with a tsp sweetener (yes, with the Marmite, yes, it tastes nice, just do it)

1 tsp sage

1 tsp thyme

Generous shake of black pepper

Finally, to thicken it all - you need 2 tbsp cornflour mixed to a paste with a little cold water.

For the mash...

4-5 cloves garlic, whole, peeled

1 whole celeriac, peeled and diced

400g potatoes, old, floury, peeled and chopped

About half a tsp vegetable bouillion powder

It is so easy it's stupid. First of all brown off the chopped up sausages in a pan. Then, add the aromatics (celery, fennel, carrot, onion), and sweat off til they're softened and golden. Add all the other veg and give it a few minutes to soften, and then the flavourings. Turn it down, stick the lid on, and get on with the mash.

Sling all the potato, garlic and celeriac into a saucepan with cold water, to which you've added the stock powder, and bring up to the boil as usual. Try and chop the potato and celeriac to more or less the same size.

When it's ready, drain, mash it all together, season well, and if it is looking a bit stiff try mixing a tbsp of Philadelphia XL through it.

Meanwhile thicken your sausagey mixture with the cornflour, and then just assemble it with the sausages on the bottom and the mash on top. Can go in the oven straight away, or to cook from cooled it needs about 45-50 minutes (depending on the size of your pie) in the middle of the oven on 180.

Enjoy!