Last weekend, Jeff and I went with our friends to try out a local brewery. We had purchased a LivingSocial deal for tastings and a tour. We didn’t actually take up the tour, but we sure did help ourselves to the tastings! Nothing like enjoying a beautiful day with friends over a pint. We left with a growler of our favorite ale, and an inspiration for making the perfect dish to complement the ale: Cottage Pie.
Basic Ingredients
- Ground beef
- Mashed potatoes
- Cheese
- Peas
- Carrots
- Onions
- Gravy
I’ve never been to the UK, where this dish originates from, so I can’t confirm first-hand how they serve it, but in my neck of the woods, Cottage Pie is on the menu in the nicer pub houses. It’s a rustic, casserole-type dish made with ground beef cooked with onions and carrots and drizzled with an herbed gravy. Then the dish is blanketed with a thick layer of mashed potatoes and baked a little to make a slightly crusty topping.
I added some Dubliner cheddar cheese to the mash, which makes the potatoes taste amazing. You don’t need to make the gravy with thyme, but I’m glad I added it. It made the dish taste a little more sophisticated.
Variations
- Make with ground lamb and this turns into “Shepard’s Pie”
- Make with ground lamb and garam masala to make this an Indian dish.
Homey and unpretentious, this is a great dish to turn to as the weather gets cooler, and nights longer. I served it with the ale, but I think it would go well with any red wine, too. It makes for great leftovers during the week.
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Cottage Pie
Equipment
- 6-quart stock pot
- potato masher
- Skillet
- 3-quart glass casserole dish (13"x9")
- 1.5-quart sauce pan
Ingredients
Potato Mash
- 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese, or sour cream
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups sharp white cheddar, shredded
Cottage Pie
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 cup carrot, peeled and chopped
- 2 pounds ground beef
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas
Brown Gravy
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 1 cup beef stock
- 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 tablespoons fresh, Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
Make the Potato Mash
- In a large stock pot, boil the potatoes in salted water until they are tender, about 12 minutes. Drain, and pour into a large bowl. Mash them up and combine them with the cream, cream cheese, egg yolk, 1 cup cheddar cheese, garlic salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
Skillet Fry Veggies and Meat
- In a skillet over medium heat, add olive oil, onions and carrots and saute until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Place in a glass casserole dish.
- Add a little extra virgin olive oil in the skillet if needed and brown the meat. When finished, drain off the extra fat, and add the meat the casserole dish, too.
- Add about a cup of the frozen peas, and mix together.
Make the Gravy
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Meanwhile, start the gravy. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then add the flour and cook for about two minutes.
- Add the beef broth, a bit of Worcestershire and the chopped thyme. Stir and cook over low for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
- When finished, pour over the meat mixture in the casserole dish.
- Layer the mashed potatoes over the top.
- Sprinkle the last of the shredded cheese over.
- Dust with a bit of paprika for color.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the top appears a bit golden and the cheese is melted.
- Let cool and garnish with a bit of flat-leafed parsley and serve.
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