Cottage pie is a classic British dish. It has been around for centuries with the name dating back to the 1790s. Like shepherd’s pie, it comprises of a meat and vegetable filling – sometimes cooked in gravy –topped with mashed potato. Originally synonymous, shepherd’s pie is now used when referring to a minced lamb filling while cottage pie is used for minced beef. This is a staple meal at home and my mum has made cottage pie for dinner for years (though obviously not every day)! It’s utterly delicious and so easy to cook!

Making cottage pie go further is simple. All you have to do is bulk it out with more veg. Celery and carrot are common additions as are peas and sometimes mushrooms. If you want to add these, small chunks of carrot and celery should be added at the beginning and fried with the onion. When adding extra ingredients, you must take into account any liquid they will bring for example mushrooms will release a lot of juice which you have to account for when cooking. Peas should always be stirred through at the last minute before the filling is poured into the dish to ensure that they keep their colour and aren’t turned to mush. It is also easy to make cottage pie vegetarian or even vegan by using Quorn or soya mince instead of beef.

I have provided two recipes below. One is a dry recipe which does not have a gravy on it and the other is a saucy recipe which includes the gravy. The dry recipe is much faster and still utterly delicious but is far more basic so if you are less confident in the kitchen, it’s worth trying this one first and working your way up to the saucy recipe. There are two different versions of the mashed potato topping which are interchangeable. Again, the dry recipe topping is a bit more basic whereas the saucy recipe is topped with a creamy garlic mash. If you want to give your dish a little bit of that restaurant flare, you can pipe the mash on to provide a beautiful topping and even stir through some chives for a herby flavour.

Check out the recipes below and enjoy!

 

 

Dry recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Cost per portion: about £1.00

 

Ingredients:

500g minced beef

2 cloves garlic

2 onions

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (if you have any)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp oil

 

For the topping:

500g potatoes

25g butter + 10g to go on top

salt

 

Peel the potatoes, roughly chop them and add them to a pan of cold salted water. Cover with a lid and turn on the heat beneath it. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer until a skewer or fork can go straight through the potatoes and they are soft. Once they are cooked, drain the potatoes and set aside.

 

Turn the oven on to gas mark 6 (200⁰ C).

 

Dice the onions and place into a large pan with the oil.

Mince the garlic, add to the onions and fry until the onions go translucent.

If you are using a frying pan, push the onions to the outside edge and add a quarter of the beef to the centre. If you are using a standard saucepan, just push all the onions to one side before adding the beef.

Keep stirring the beef in the centre until most of it has browned and then stir it into the onions.

Push the mixture back to the sides and add the next batch of beef.

Continue this until all the beef has been added.

Stir through the Worcestershire sauce and the tomato paste. Cook for a further five minutes and then pour into an oven proof dish.

 

Mash the potatoes.

Melt the butter in the microwave and mash it through the potatoes. This should still be a little lumpy.

Add salt to taste.

Spread the potatoes over the meat and rough up the top a little. The tiny bits of potato sticking up will crisp up faster giving a nice crunch when eaten.

Add a few small bits of butter to the top and bake for half an hour.

 

 

Saucy recipe

Prep time: 1hr 10 mins

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves 4

Cost per portion: about £1.10

 

Ingredients:

500g minced beef

2 cloves garlic.

2 Onions

1 Large carrot – finely grated

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (if you have any)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp oil

400 ml beef or chicken stock

(If you have it) 100 ml sherry or red wine

4 tbsp flour

 

 

For the topping:

500g potatoes

25g butter + 10g to go on top

60ml milk

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt

 

Dice the onions and place into a large pan with some oil.

Mince the garlic, add to the onions and fry until the onions go translucent.

If you are using a frying pan, push the onions to the outside edge and add a quarter of the beef to the centre. If you are using a standard saucepan, just push all the onions to one side.

Keep stirring the beef in the centre until most of it has browned and then stir it into the onions.

Push the mixture back to the sides and add the next batch of beef.

Continue this until all the beef has been added.

Add in the stock, wine, Worcestershire sauce and the tomato paste.

Mix the flour in a bowl with 100 ml water until it is smooth and once the beef mixture is bubbling, stir this in.

Make sure to keep stirring until the sauce has begun to thicken and then leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

Squeeze the grated carrot to try and remove as much liquid as possible. Stir it through the filling and let cook for another 10 minutes.

The sauce should be thick and coat all the ingredients. If it looks a little runny, sprinkle another tablespoon of flour over beef mix and stir it through.

You can set this aside now or leave it to simmer until the topping is complete.

 

 

While the meat is simmering, turn the oven to gas mark 6 (200⁰C).

Peel and chop the potatoes.

Add them to salted cold water and bring to the boil.

Simmer until the potatoes are fully cooked.

Drain the potatoes and set aside.

Using the same saucepan, add the butter and let it melt. Tip in the garlic and fry.

The moment the garlic starts to brown or begin to stick, add the milk and heat until the milk is just about to boil.

Remove from the hob.

Mash the potatoes and then add the milk mix. Continue mashing to make a creamy topping.

 

Pour the meat into an oven proof dish and spread on the potato mix.

Rough up the top of the potatoes and place a few small bits of butter on top.

Bake for half an hour.

Serve the cottage pie straight from the oven!

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed the recipe. If you fancy a traditionally British treat to eat for dessert, check out how to make a simple Victoria sponge. It’s incredibly easy to make and tastes delicious! If you aren’t that much of a fan of cottage pie, have a go at making some pan-seared salmon. It only takes 30 minutes but is sure to wow you and your friends.

 

Have a good one and I will be back next week with another traditional recipe, scones!

H