Cottage Pie Authentic Irish Food

THE BEST COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Heat the oil in a skillet and sauté the leeks and carrots for about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.
• Brown the ground beef, breaking it up as it browns so it has a nice crumbly texture. If it's excessively greasy, drain some off. I didn't, I like to retain the fat for flavor unless there's a ton of it.
• Stir in the tomato paste, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and broth to combine. Bring up to a simmer and let simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes to allow the broth to reduce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If your gravy is very thin you might want to stir in a sprinkling of Wondra flour, about a teaspoon to start, which will thicken it up instantly. Be sparing with it, a little will do.
• Add the vegetables back into the pan and mix well. Turn the mixture into a large pie plate or casserole dish. Spread out evenly.
• Meanwhile boil the potatoes until very tender. Drain and mash with the buttermilk and 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add more buttermilk if the potato mixture seems dry. Fold in the cheese and season with a little salt and pepper if needed.
• Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the pie. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and gently brush over the mashed potatoes.
• Put the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until browned and bubbling.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, celery and carrot, stirring them over a brisk heat but not allowing them to brown.
• After 5 minutes or so add the garlic, reduce the heat and soften everything together.
• Increase the heat again and add the ground beef, stirring until browned.
• Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, wine and stock, season and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Boil the potatoes until soft and mash them with the milk until smooth and creamy.
• Spoon the meat mixture into a gratin dish and cover with a thick, even layer of mashed potato.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 45-55 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with seasonal vegetables.

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.

IRISH SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place olive oil and butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onion and ground lamb; brown the meat, breaking it up into small crumbles as it cooks, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in flour until incorporated, then mix in salt, black pepper, rosemary, paprika, cinnamon, ketchup, and garlic; cook and stir until garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Stir in water and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Reduce heat to medium-low and bring mixture to a simmer; cook and stir until thick, about 5-6 minutes.
• Remove lamb mixture from heat and stir in peas and carrots until combined.
• Spread lamb mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
• Place potatoes into a large pan of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and return potatoes to pan.
• Mash butter, cayenne pepper, cream cheese, and Irish cheese into the potatoes. Mash until combined and potatoes are smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
• Whisk together egg yolk and milk in a small bowl; stir into the mashed potato mixture.
• Top the lamb mixture in the baking dish with the mashed potatoes and spread evenly to cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 25 to 30 minutes.

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.