Cottage pie

One of my all time favourite dishes when I was growing up is cottage pie and I was pleasantly surprised to find that here, in Argentina, pastel de papa is equally well made and well-liked, albeit with a slight difference.
This dish is basically a stir-fried mixture of onions, garlic, tomato and mince, topped off with mashed potatoes. The Argentine variety has mashed potatoes on the base as well.. So let's get started:
Cut a large onion into small cubes and pan fry in butter, accompanied by crushed garlic, until the onions are soft and translucent. At this stage you may consider adding any or all of the following, according to your taste: bay leaves (2), oregano (dried or fresh), rosemary (crushed). Once the onions are ready, add two medium-sized tomatoes that have been cubed also as well as a little sugar (to combat the acidic taste of the tomatoes). Cook until the tomatoes are soft. Now add in your mince (about 500g) and mix well and continue to cook until the mince is done. If you like, add veggies at this stage: cooked peas, or corn or grated carrots. The choices are yours. Cook a little while longer until everything is integrated and pour into a flat, oven-proof dish. bake in the oven for about ten minutes (while you prepare your mashed potatoes.
Boil your potatoes until soft and drain the water off. Add a big knob of butter and a teaspoon of baking powder (to make the mash nice and fluffy) and mash the potatoes. Slowly add milk, while continuing to mash, until you get the consistency you desire. Now top the baked mince/onion mix with the mashed potatoes, return to the oven for a further ten minutes (or until the mash starts to brown.
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