English 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!

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.

NEXT LEVEL COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Crumble in the mince and stir to coat the meat in the hot oil. Cook the mince for 15 mins until you are left with browned, toasted mince and the fat from the meat. Stir the vegetables in with the mince and cook for 10 mins until they start to turn brown. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2 mins. Stir in the herbs, ketchup and tomato purée, and splash in the Worcestershire sauce. Pour in the ale, bubble for a minute, then gradually stir in the stock. Leave everything to simmer gently for 1 hr until you have a tender mince in a rich gravy.
• Use a slotted spoon to lift the mince and vegetables into a large baking dish, leaving the residual gravy in the pan. Drain the gravy through a sieve into another saucepan, then tip what remains in the sieve back into the baking dish. Leave the mince to cool, then put in the fridge (or, better still, the freezer if you have room) for at least 1 hr until the fat from the mince solidifies. This part can be made up to two days ahead.
• While the meat sauce is cooling, make the cheesy potato topping. Tip the potatoes, whole and in their skins, into a large pan of salted water. Bring the pan to the boil and simmer for 15 mins until the potatoes are cooked all the way through. Drain off the water and leave until the potatoes are just cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, boil the milk, butter and mustard powder together in a large saucepan. Peel the cooked potatoes by rubbing their skins off with a tea towel. Mash or pass the potatoes through a ricer into the hot milk and butter, stir through the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
• When the meat sauce has set, top with the mash. Start from the outside and use a spatula to scrape the mash against the side of the dish, then spread it over the middle of the dish. Using a fork, make lines across the topping. Can be frozen for up to 6 months.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the pie on a large baking tray to catch any drips and bake for 30-35 mins until golden. Leave it to rest for at least 10 mins while you heat up the extra gravy. Serve the pie at the table with green vegetables and the jug of extra gravy for pouring over.

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 WITH CHEESE AND LEEK TOPPING

Steps:

• To make the pie filling:.
• Fry the onions and carrots if using, 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 onion and carrot 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.).
• Season well with salt and pepper, then add the mixed herbs. Stir in the flour, and mix well.
• Mix the tomato puree 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 aboout a third, add the peas if using and take off the heat. Set aside whilst you make the topping.
• To make the topping:.
• Boil the potatoes in slightly salted water then mash them well, adding half of the butter and all of the milk gradually. Season to taste.
• If using fresh leeks, fry the leeks gently in the remaining butter, until soft and slightly coloured.
• Stir the cooked leeks into the mashed potato mixture and give it all a good mix.
• Assemble:.
• Put the meat mixture into a large and deep well greased baking dish and spread the potato 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.