Traditional Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash
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| Serves | 4 to 6 |
| Prep time | 30 minutes |
| Cook time | 1 hour |
| Total time | 1 hour, 30 minutes |
| Allergy | Milk |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Casual Party, Christmas, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Cottage pie, like its opposite lamb number, Shepherd's pie, was the ingenious idea of housewives many years ago, in order to create another warm and comforting meal usually from the Sunday Lunch left-overs! Cooked beef or lamb were diced or shredded and sometimes the vegetables were added to the meat mixture - such as peas or carrots. My cottage pie recipe uses swede with the mashed potato topping for an extra "secret" five-a-day veggie added to the meal!
Ingredients
pie
- 600g lean ground beef or 600g cooked beef, shredded
- 2 onions, peeled and diced
- 25g butter or 25g beef/bacon dripping
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs or 1 -2 tablespoon fresh mixed herbs, chopped
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 250ml beef stock ( OR 250 ml red wine mixed with 2 teaspoons sugar)
- salt and pepper to taste
topping
- 1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into small even sized pieces (I used Scotty Brand Kestrel potatoes)
- 1 small swede, peeled and cut into small even sized pieces
- 50g butter
- 2 - 4 tablespoons milk
- 100g mature farmhouse cheddar cheese, grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Note
Cottage pie, like its opposite lamb number, Shepherd's pie, was the ingenious idea of housewives many years ago, in order to create another warm and comforting meal usually from the Sunday Lunch left-overs! Cooked beef or lamb were diced or shredded and sometimes the vegetables were added to the meat mixture - such as peas or carrots. My cottage pie recipe uses swede with the mashed potato topping for an extra "secret" five-a-day veggie added to the meal!
Directions
| Step 1 | To make the pie filling: Fry the onions in the butter or beef dripping until they are soft. Add the minced/chopped beef and cook for about 10 to 20 minutes or until the onions have browned and the minced beef has taken on some colour and is firm. (It also depends if you are using cooked or raw minced beef.). |
| Step 2 | Season well with salt and pepper, then add the mixed herbs. Stir in the flour, and mix well. Mix the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce with the stock and add it to the meat mixture, bringing it all to simmering point. Simmer until the stock has reduced by about a third, add the peas if using and take off the heat. Set aside whilst you make the topping. |
| Step 3 | To make the topping: Boil the potatoes and swede in slightly salted water then mash them well, adding half of the butter and all of the milk gradually. Season to taste. |
| Step 4 | Assemble and Bake: Put the meat mixture into a large and deep well greased baking dish and spread the potato and swede mixture on top; then sprinkle with the grated cheese. You can also use 4 - 6 smaller pie dishes if you wish. Put into a pre-heated oven, 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6 for about 25 to 30 minutes until the topping is crusty, golden and bubbling. Serve with an assortment of fresh seasonal vegetables and a jug of gravy. |
