Mini Chili Beef Pies

Ingredients

• 1 lbready-rolled shortcrust pastry
• 9 ozground beef
• 1 tbspsunflower oil
• 1 smallonion, finely chopped
• 2 tsphot chili powder
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1/3 cuptomato paste
• 2/3 cupbeef stock
• ground cinnamon
• 1 cupkidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 largepotato, for the mash topping
• 3 tbspsour cream, mixed into the mash
• 2 tbspfresh chives (chopped), stirred into the mash

Method

1. 1

   Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion for 5 minutes until soft. Add the chili powder and cumin; fry for 1 minute.

2. 2

   Add the ground beef and cook for a few minutes, breaking it up. Stir in the tomato paste, beef stock and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15–20 minutes until almost all liquid has evaporated. Add the kidney beans for the last 5 minutes. Season and cool.

3. 3

   Preheat the oven to 400°F / 350°F fan / gas 6. Using a 7cm round cutter, stamp 12 circles from the pastry. Press each into a hole of a 12-hole mini muffin tray, pricking the bases with a fork. Blind bake for 10 minutes. Cool on a rack.

4. 4

   Boil the potato until tender. Drain, mash with the sour cream, season well and stir through the chives.

5. 5

   Spoon 1–2 tsp of chili filling into each pastry case. Top with a teaspoon of the herbed mash and ruffle the surface with a fork.

6. 6

   Return to the oven for 15 minutes until the mash tops are lightly golden. Serve warm.