Beef and Thyme Meatloaf

Check out this amazing recipe for beef, thyme and mushroom loaf with potato dauphinoise - and feed five for less than £5!

Ingredients:

• 210 grams closed cup mushrooms
• 500 grams minced beef
• 1 kilogram maris piper potatoes
• 1 red onion
• 20 grams fresh lemon thyme
• 2 cartons double cream
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Finely chop the onion and mushrooms and fry off in a little olive oil until they have taken on a good colour and all the juices have evaporated. Set to one side to cool.

2. Now finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and thyme and mix together with the beef in a mixing bowl along with some seasoning and the egg. Add the onion and mushrooms once they have cooled down and get your hands in giving it all a good mix.

3. Get a loaf tin (around 1.5lbs) and grease with a little olive oil and add the mixture. Place some oiled greaseproof paper on top of the loaf to ensure it doesn't burn. Set to one side whilst you prepare the potato dauphinoise.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 160C.

5. Slice the potatoes very thinly (around 2mm).

6. Get a large thick bottomed pan and pour in the cream heating to a simmer. Grate the remaining four cloves of garlic; add to the cream and season well. This will take a little extra salt due to the quantity of potatoes.

7. Now add the potatoes to the cream and simmer for 5 minutes (add a little milk if the cream looks on the low side). Once this is done add the potatoes to a shallow oven proof dish.

8. Both the meatloaf and dauphinoise will take around 1 hour to cook in the pre-heated oven. Remove the greaseproof paper for the last 15 minutes of cooking of the meatloaf.

9. You can test to see if the loaf is done by putting a metal skewer through the loaf and just touching the skewer on your top lip. If it's done the skewer will be hot and come out clean.

10. For the dauphinoise be careful the cream doesn't split, check every 20 minutes and turn down a little if it does (don't worry about the meatloaf as you can just leave this in a little longer). The dauphinoise will be ready when bubbling and all browned on top.

(Serves 4)

From my supermarket.co.uk