Cottage Pie

2.5kg minced beef
3kg potatoes peeled
6 onions
10 garlic cloves
8 carrots, peeled and diced
2 parsnip, peeled and diced
8 celery sticks, diced
2 capsicum, diced
2 cans sweet corn
2 cans green peas
3 cups frozen green beans
Cottage Pie recipe base x5

Cut the potatoes for boiling, put into hot water and boil for 10mins. Remove potatoes from the heat and strain the water off. Add 1/2 cup of butter or margarine and 3/4 cup milk. Mash well and season to taste.
Meanwhile brown the onions and raw vegetables in a medium sized pot. Brown the mince beef in a separate large pot. Add the vegetables and beef together with the cottage pie recipe base. Simmer for 10minutes, add the frozen and the canned vegetables. Check consistency of the gravy, thicken if required with a cornflour slurry.
Place the meat mixture in the bottom of a large baking dish. Place spoonfuls of the potato mixture on top of the meat until the surface is fully covered. Gently level off the potato top then trace the tines of a fork over the surface to create a ribbed effect. Spray the potato top lightly with cooking oil and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Bake for 45mins if the contents go into the oven while still hot. Bake for 1hr 15 mins if they go in cold.