Mince and Mushroom Hotpot

Food has always been by biggest stress-buster. In the past, my bosses and colleagues have accepted that I always work better under pressure and on deadlines if I'm well-fed.
      Jayanti and I worked together 8 years ago (has it really been that long!). We met on the first day of our new job, having joined the company on the same day. We clicked instantaneously. Among a million things we had in common, it was our love for food that bound us inextricably. She'd recommend restaurants that I 'had to eat' at and I would maintain a diary with a checklist to ensure that I'd visited every single one of them.
Over the years we changed jobs, moved to different continents, stopped meeting each other as often as we did but we stayed in touch. (She is one of my closest friends!!)
It's hardly possible to visit restaurants together now unless we visit each other or meet in Mumbai sometime but that doesn't stop us from sharing our passion for food.
Every now and then I see an email from here telling me about a new recipe she's tried and from across the seas she inspires me to experiment with the same in my kitchen.
A few weeks ago Jayanti discovered 'Potts and Mince' as she calls it and sent me the recipe with the picture of a delicious looking, half eaten pie (they attacked it the minute it was ready so by the time the photograph was taken only half the pie remained).

This recipe is hers barring a few minor changes I've made to it. The measurements are approximate and you can play around with them to create a combination that works best for you. You must try it out!

Ingredients:


Chicken mince - 500 gms ( you can use lamb or beef too)
Potato Croquettes - 10 pieces
Button mushrooms - 10 pieces (sliced)
Cream of mushroom soup - half a packet
Parmesan cheese - 1/4 cup
Parsley leaves - a tsp

Method:


You can try my recipe here for cooking the mince. Make Cream of Mushroom soup with half a packet of the soup mix (knorr , maggie, etc) and keep it aside. We're going to use the soup as a sauce for the Hot Pot.

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Put the mince in an oven-proof baking dish and pour half the mushroom soup over it. Add a layer of sliced mushrooms and then the croquettes. Pour the rest of the soup over it. Now add a final layer of mushrooms and place the baking dish in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. When the croquettes are cooked well sprinkle the bake with parmesan cheese and cook for ten minutes or until the cheese melts. Serve hot and garnished with parsley.