Beef Vegetable Cottage Pie Food

COTTAGE PIE (OR SHEPHERD'S PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Make mashed potatoes: Add potatoes to a saucepan with 3 inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.
• Drain the water and leave the potatoes in the pot. Cover with the lid and allow to steam for a few minutes.
• Mash the potatoes lightly with a potato masher (avoid over-mixing the potatoes). Add butter, sour cream, milk, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper and stir just until smooth. Set aside.
• Make the meat filling: In a large, oven-safe* 12 inch skillet with sides, add the ground beef and ground sausage (or ground lamb, to make shepherd's pie). Season with salt and pepper.
• Cook over medium heat until browned, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain some of the grease (reserving some in the pan) and remove meat to a plate.
• Add the onion, celery and carrots to the pan and saute for about 5-8 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and flour and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and bay leaves and stir to combine.
• Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add extra seasonings, if needed. Remove bay leaves and stir in frozen peas, corn and cooked meat.
• Assemble the pie: Spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture to completely cover the top. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving, to allow the gravy sauce in the meat mixture to cool and thicken.

COTTAGE PIE (SHEPHERD'S PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400F.
• Saute your beef over medium high heat until browned, 7-10 min. Remove the beef from the skillet.
• Add the vegetables** and garlic to the beef juices in the pan. Cook until soft, 7-10 min.
• Reduce the heat to medium and add the tomato paste and flour. Saute until the flour is completely moistened.
• Return the cooked beef to pan. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. Simmer 5-10 min, until the gravy thickens.
• Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer the meat mixture into a greased, 8x8 baking dish. Spoon or pipe the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture.
• Place the dish in the oven at 400F and cook for 20-30 min or until the top is golden and the filling is bubbly.
• Let stand 5-10 min before serving.

CLASSIC COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook lamb, carrots and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in flour, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add broth and wine; stir in tomato paste and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in peas., Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until tender., Preheat oven to 400°. Transfer meat mixture into a greased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Drain potatoes; mash with milk and butter. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, salt and pepper. Spread over meat mixture; sprinkle with remaining cheese., Place pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet (plate will be full). Bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish. Heat oven to 350 F.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until softened and lightly browned.
• Add the beef and butter and saute for about 1 minute longer.
• Stir in the flour until blended.
• Add beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, peas, and carrots.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon the beef mixture into the prepared baking dish.
• If using leftover mashed potatoes, warm them in a saucepan with a little butter or milk until softened.
• Stir sour cream and cheese into the potatoes.
• Spoon potatoes evenly over the beef layer and sprinkle lightly with paprika.
• Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until hot and bubbly.
• If desired, turn on the broiler to brown the top for just a minute or two, but watch carefully to prevent burning.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beef or meat alternative. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, breaking up the beef or meat alternative, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the lentils and sprinkle with the flour; stir to combine.
• Whisk together the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk in the mushroom or beef broth and add to the pan, scraping any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, season with more salt and pepper if needed, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the topping.
• For the topping: Cover the potatoes and garlic with a few inches of cold water into a large pot. Season well with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, roughly mash the veg. Add the milk, butter and cream cheese and mash until the desired texture is reached. Season with more salt.
• Stir the frozen veg into the filling and remove from the heat. Top with the mash, spreading it into an even layer and scatter with the grated Cheddar. Transfer the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet just in case there is any bubble over and bake for until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Allow the pie to cool slightly before serving.

COTTAGE PIE WITH VEGETABLE MASH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a pot of salted water bring potatoes, carrots, and 3 cloves garlic to a boil. Reduce to a rapid simmer; cook until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to pot. Using a masher, mash vegetables until mostly smooth; stir in 3 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper. Finely chop remaining 2 cloves garlic; set aside.
• In a large skillet over high, melt remaining tablespoon butter. Add beef and brown, about 5 minutes. Remove meat from pan, leaving drippings. Reduce heat to medium-high, add onion, and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add chopped garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Return meat and collected juices to pan and stir in tomato paste. Cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Transfer meat mixture to a 9-inch square baking dish. Dollop mashed vegetables over meat and spread to edges of baking dish. Bake until juices are bubbling and topping is golden brown in spots, about 20 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

GOLDEN VEGGIE SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat 50g butter in a pan, then gently fry 2 chopped onions, 4 diced carrots, 1 chopped head of celery and 4 finely chopped garlic cloves for 15 mins until soft and golden.
• Turn up the heat, add 200g sliced chestnut mushrooms, then cook for 4 mins more.
• Stir in 2 bay leaves and 1 tbsp dried thyme, then add 500g green lentils. Pour over 100ml red wine and 1.7l vegetable stock - it's important that you do not season with salt at this stage.
• Simmer for 40-50 mins until the lentils are very soft.
• Season to taste, take off heat, then stir in 3 tbsp tomato purée.
• While the lentils are cooking, tip 2kg floury potatoes into a pan of water, then boil for about 15 mins until tender. Drain well, mash with 85g butter and 100ml milk, then season with salt and pepper.
• To assemble the pies, divide the lentil mixture between all the dishes that you are using, then top with mash.
• Scatter over 50g grated cheddar and freeze for up to two months or if eating that day, heat oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5, then bake for 30 mins until the topping is golden.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• (Up to a month ahead) heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the bacon lardons over a high heat for several mins until well coloured. Using a slotted spoon, remove from the pan, drain on kitchen paper and set aside. Season the beef, then fry in the fat left in the pan. Once coloured, add all the remaining ingredients for the beef, except the cornfl our and bacon, and bring to a simmer. Partly cover the pan with a lid and continue to cook for a further 2-2½ hrs or until the beef is tender.
• Once cooked, tip everything into a colander set over another pan so you can catch the sauce. Tip the contents of the colander into a large pie dish, about 28cm x 23cm x 5cm. Re-boil the sauce and check for seasoning. Thicken with the loosened cornfl our, adding a little at a time and stirring until you have the desired coating consistency. Spoon enough sauce over the beef to barely cover and loosen it, then stir. Remaining sauce can be frozen, ready to re-heat and offer separately on the day.
• While the beef is cooling, make the mash. Boil the potatoes until tender, 15-20 mins, depending on size. Drain off the water and replace the lid. Shake the pan to break up the boiled potatoes. Add butter and milk a little at a time while mashing. Season.
• Spoon and spread the mashed potatoes on top of the cooled beef. Once covered, the mash can be marked with a spoon, palette knife or fork for a more interesting fi nish (see Gary's tip, left). When cold, the cottage pie is ready to cover and freeze.
• The day before serving, transfer the pie to the fridge to defrost overnight. (Or reheat from frozen on the day, see below.)
• On the day, reheat the pie. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. If thawed, bake for 50 mins-1 hr, or until heated through, then increase heat to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 for the fi nal 10 mins for a golden brown topping. If cooking from frozen, cover with foil, then bake for 1¼ hrs; remove foil and bake uncovered for 1¼ hrs more, then increase heat as above for the last 10 mins.