Cottage Pie
by Tavolino
A classic, hearty British comfort dish featuring a savory ground beef and vegetable base topped with creamy, cheesy mashed potatoes and baked until golden brown.
Ingredients
- olive oil 3 tbsp
- beef mince 1¼kg
- onions, finely chopped 2
- carrots, chopped 3
- celery sticks, chopped 3
- garlic cloves, finely chopped 2
- plain flour 3 tbsp
- tomato purée 1 tbsp
- red wine (optional) 1 large glass
- beef stock 850ml
- Worcestershire sauce 4 tbsp
- thyme sprigs a few
- bay leaves 2
- potatoes, peeled and chopped 1.8kg
- milk 225ml
- butter 25g
- strong cheddar, grated 200g
- freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Preparation
- 1
Peel and chop 1.8kg potatoes into chunks.
- 2
Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes until tender.
- 3
Heat olive oil in a large pan and brown 1¼kg beef mince.
- 4
Add 2 chopped onions, 3 chopped carrots, and 3 chopped celery sticks to the pan.
- 5
Cook the vegetables with the beef for 8 minutes until softened.
- 6
Stir in 3 finely chopped garlic cloves and 3 tbsp plain flour.
- 7
Add 1 tbsp tomato purée, 1 large glass red wine, 850ml beef stock, 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves.
- 8
Simmer the mixture gently for 30 minutes until thickened.
- 9
Drain the cooked potatoes and mash them with 225ml milk and 25g butter.
- 10
Stir 200g grated cheddar and freshly grated nutmeg into the mashed potatoes.
- 11
Transfer the beef mixture to a baking dish and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
- 12
Spread the mashed potato topping evenly over the beef base.
- 13
Bake the Cottage Pie in a preheated oven for 25 minutes until golden brown.