Classic Cottage Pie Food

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat half of the oil in a large frying pan or cast iron casserole dish.
• Brown the meat, which would take approximately 5 minutes, then remove from the pan. Place the meat in a sieve to remove excess fat.
• Using the same pan, add the remaining oil, then fry the onion, garlic, carrots, thyme and rosemary over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the excess moisture has evaporated.
• Add the browned mince back into the pan along with the tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add red wine and Worcestershire sauce and simmer until the liquid has been reduced by half.
• Pour in stock and bring it to a slow simmer. Continue to cook for 20-25 minutes. If the meat sauce doesn't seem thick enough, continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes.
• Stir in mushrooms and peas, then season to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 180˚C/fan 160˚C/356˚F/gas 4.
• Meanwhile, add the potatoes to a pan of salted water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, which will take about 10-15 minutes. Drain then return to the pan and leave to steam dry.
• Pass the potatoes through a potato ricer then return the mash to the pan.
• Stir in the butter, cheese and egg yolk, then season to taste.
• Spoon the mince into a large ovenproof casserole dish and even out the layer.
• Top the mince with mash and level out with a fork. Run the fork along the mash to leave a ripple effect that will help the topping become crispy.
• Sprinkle over extra cheese, if you prefer, then place in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Serve immediately. It goes well with cauliflower cheese and braised red cabbage. Enjoy!

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry 1¼ kg beef mince until browned - you may need to do this in batches. Set aside as it browns.
• Put the other 2 tbsp olive oil into the pan, add 2 finely chopped onions, 3 chopped carrots and 3 chopped celery sticks and cook on a gentle heat until soft, about 20 mins.
• Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 tbsp plain flour and 1 tbsp tomato purée, increase the heat and cook for a few mins, then return the beef to the pan.
• Pour over a large glass of red wine, if using, and boil to reduce it slightly before adding the 850ml beef stock, 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, a few thyme sprigs and 2 bay leaves.
• Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 mins. By this time the gravy should be thick and coating the meat. Check after about 30 mins - if a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat slightly to reduce the gravy a little. Season well, then discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
• Meanwhile, make the mash. In a large saucepan, cover the 1.8kg potatoes which you've peeled and chopped, in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender.
• Drain well, then allow to steam-dry for a few mins. Mash well with the 225ml milk, 25g butter, and three-quarters of the 200g strong cheddar cheese, then season with freshly grated nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
• Spoon the meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
• If eating straight away, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins, or until the topping is golden.
• If you want to use a slow cooker, brown your mince in batches then tip into your slow cooker and stir in the vegetables, flour, purée, wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs with some seasoning. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours. Make the mash following the previous steps, and then oven cook in the same way to finish.

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 (AUTHENTIC IRISH RECIPE)

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Brown the beef in oil.
• Remove from pan and set aside.
• Drain most of the accumulated fat from the pan.
• Sauté onions until tender, and then add chopped tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add broth and stir in herbs and seasonings.
• Return brown meat to skillet and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
• Transfer all ingredients to an ovenproof casserole.
• Top with mashed potatoes (scoring them with a fork.) Dot with butter and bake uncovered in 375-degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

PROPER ENGLISH COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• To Make Meat Filling: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in ground beef and saute 1 minute. Add onion and carrot, then continue to saute until meat is no longer pink and onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, cinnamon, mixed herbs, and parsley.
• In a small bowl, combine beef broth and tomato paste. Mix together, then add to beef mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all of liquid has been absorbed. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
• To Make Potato Topping: Place diced potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and place over high heat. Allow to come to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
• Mash potatoes until smooth, then add butter or margarine, followed by milk. Whip until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes over beef filling. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until top is browned and cheese is bubbly.

TRADITIONAL ENGLISH COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a pan on a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf and fry over a medium/low heat for 10 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.
• Add the beef mince and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until brown.
• Add the tomato purée, worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, then stir and cook for 2 minutes.
• Turn the heat up to high and add the red wine. Let it bubble away and reduce for 5 minutes then add the stock and reduce to a medium heat. Simmer for a further 20 minutes, stirring often.
• Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into halves and quarters so they're all a fairly even size. Cook in a pan of boiling, salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain in a colander and leave to steam dry.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.
• Taste the mince and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Transfer it to an ovenproof dish (approximately 20cm by 30cm).
• Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk and a pinch of salt and pepper then spread over the top of the mince.
• Finely grate over a little parmesan cheese then cook for 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.
• Serve with buttered peas or a simple side salad.

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.

LENTIL COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large sauté pan.Add the chopped onion, celery and carrot along with a pinch of salt.Cook over low to medium heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often to avoid the onion burning.
• Once the onion has softened add the garlic and cook for a minute.Then add half a tablespoon of butter, all the chopped mushrooms, a pinch of salt and a small pinch of freshly ground black pepper.Cook for about 10 minutes, until the mushrooms release their juices. Stir often.
• Add the chopped parsnips and cook for a few minutes.Then add one heaped tablespoon of tomato puree (paste) and one heaped tablespoon of plain (all-purpose) flour. Stir the paste and flour into the vegetables and cook for a minute or two.
• Now pour in the stock one ladle at a time, stirring the stock into the vegetable mixture each time. The sauce will be thick to start off then will end up being slightly thin.Add all the lentils to the stock and stir well.
• Stir in one tablespoon of Henderson's relish, two tablespoons of soy sauce and one heaped tablespoon of red currant jelly.Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.Add the thyme sprigs and bay leaves.Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. Stir often to avoid sticking at the bottom of the pan.The filling is done when the sauce is nice and thick.After 20 minutes transfer to a large casserole dish and stir in the frozen peas.
• Put the quartered potatoes into a saucepan. Cover with cold water and add a good pinch of salt.Bring the water to a boil then reduce to a fast simmer.Cook until the potatoes are tender. Test with a knife, the knife should go through the potato easily and should fall off the knife.Drain the potatoes, return the cooked potatoes to the saucepan and put them back on the heat for a minute to dry out.
• Mash the potatoes using a potato masher or ricer. They should be lump-free.
• Add the milk and butter to a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until the butter has melted.Pour the warm milk and melted butter into the mashed potatoes. Do this in stages, about a quarter at a time. Beating the liquid into potatoes with a wooden spoon.Once all the milk and butter has been added and you have a smooth mash season with sea salt and black pepper.
• After you have added the peas to the vegetable mixture, use the back of a tablespoon to make sure the mixture is evenly spread out in the casserole dish.
• Add one heaped spoon of the mash to the vegetable mixture.Start in one corner and keep adding the mashed potatoes until they fully cover the vegetable mixture.Use a fork to spread the potatoes evenly over the vegetable mixture. You can make a criss-cross design with the fork if you like.
• Top with the grated cheese.
• Place the pie on a baking tray then place it on the middle tray in the oven.Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (335°F) Fan/ 190°C (370°F) conventional oven.The cottage pie is cooked once the topping is a light golden brown and the liquid is bubbling up at the edges.Leave to cool slightly before serving.Add a sprinkling of chopped parsley as a garnish if you like.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a large 9-inch by 13-inch (or equivalent)
• Peel the potatoes and cut them in quarters. Place them in the salted cooking water, cover the pot, and cook on high heat (turn to medium-high when the pot begins reaches a hard boil).
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
• Brown the ground beef, adding the onion, garlic, chopped carrots, thyme, paprika, parsley, and salt and pepper just before the beef is cooked through.
• Cook over medium heat just until the vegetables begin to soften and the onions become translucent.
• Add the wine and cook until reduced.
• Sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture and stir well to toast the flour.
• Pour in the stock and stir well, adding the green beans (or peas), cooking until the sauce thickens. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the meat mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.
• Drain the cooked potatoes and mash them in the pot along with the butter, milk, and salt and pepper until the mashed potatoes are smooth.
• Dollop the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat mixture, smoothing them out completely and creating some grooves with a fork on top of the mashed potatoes (this helps with browning).
• Place the baking dish on a baking sheet (it might bubble over the top of the dish in the oven), and bake the Cottage Pie for about 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit or until the potatoes begin to turn golden brown on top and the filling starts to bubble up around the sides of the baking dish.
• Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.