The name cottage pie is deeply associated with the cottage. A delicious and homely British cuisine, the cottage pie is made of minced meat with potatoes mashed or sliced on top.
The root origin of this delicacy is in the UK and Ireland. The food used to be a homemade dish in the cottages of the poorer British people. Generally, a pie made from meat and [potato topping is a form of cottage pie. Generally, beef is used as the meat for cottage pie.
So, how to make cottage pie?
If you are looking for a recipe to make cottage pie at home, then here is a recipe to help you –
In this article, I have detailed a cottage pie recipe for you. So, without much delay, let’s get you started.
Ingredients
These are the ingredients you will need for making cottage pie –
For The Pie:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ¼kg minced beef
- 2 finely chopped onion
- 3 chopped carrots
- 3 chopped celery sticks
- 2 finely chopped garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 tablespoons tomato purée
- A large glass of red wine (optional)
- 850ml of beef stock
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- few thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
For The Mash:
Here are the ingredients you need to make the mash –
- 1.8kg of chopped potatoes
- 25g butter
- 225ml milk
- freshly grated nutmeg
- 200g strong cheddar, grated
Make Cottage Pie With These Easy Steps
The preparation time for the recipe is around 35 minutes; you will need 1 hour and 50 minutes to cook the cottage pie properly.
Here is a step-by-step process to make cottage pie –
Step 1:
Take a large saucepan and heat one tablespoon of olive oil into it. Once the oil is heated, you need to fry the beef mince within the saucepan until the meat gets brown. You may have to fry the meat in batches, but make sure to fry them brown.
Step 2:
You need to put two more tablespoons of olive oil and fry the chopped onions, celery sticks, and carrots. Make sure to put them on low flame as you cook the specified number of these veggies gently for 20 minutes.
Step 3:
Now, you have to add 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped), one tablespoon of tomato puree, and 3 tablespoons of plain flour. Next, you have to increase the heat a little and cook them for a couple of minutes. Once done, you need to return the beef to the pan.
Step 4:
This is optional, but you can use red wine. To use it, you have to boil a large glass of red wine. Then you can add 4 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, a few thyme springs and 850 ml beef stock, and two bay leaves.
Step 5:
Simmer down the heat and cook the meat for 45 minutes uncovered. The gravy should be thick. If not, you can increase the heat after 30 minutes to thicken out the gravy. Season well and discard the thyme stalks and the bay leaves.
Step 6:
Now for the mash, you need to take finely peeled and chopped potatoes of 1.8 kg weight. Use salted cold water and boil it and boil the potatoes until they get tender.
Step 7:
You have to drain the water well and steam dry the potatoes for a few minutes. Now you have to mash it using 225 ml milk, 25 mg butter, and 200 gms strong cheddar cheese (three quarters only). Use some salt and peppers and freshly grated nutmeg to season it.
Step 8:
You have to use 2 overproof dishes to spoon the meat. Once done, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Step 9:
Do you want to eat it straight away? In that case, make sure to heat the oven at 200C. Now cook it for 25 minutes to 30 minutes until the topping becomes golden.
Step 10:
If you plan to use a slow cooker, then mince the meat in batches. After that, you can stir in your vegetables, puree, wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce, and herbs with a little seasoning. Then, You have to cover it and cook it for 4 hours to 5 hours. Then, follow the previous steps to make the mash. Now, overcook the meat in the same way to finish.
Frequently Asked Question:-
Now that you know how to make cottage pie, you can follow these questions. These popularly asked questions should solve most of your further queries related to the cottage pie recipe–
Ans: Sometimes when you add the mashed potato, you may see it sinking within the meat. It would help if you let the pie get cool first to stop that from happening. Once it is cooled down, you can add the toppings to it. You can also freeze them in individual ovenproof dishes when making a meal for one.
Ans: You can bake the pie in a frozen condition and keep it covered at 180°C for 45 minutes. Then it would help if you left it uncovered for 30 minutes.
Ans: The main difference between these pies remains in the ingredients used to make them. A pie is called a shepherd’s pie if the minced meat used in it is taken from lamb. When the minced meat used in the pie is beef, then only we can call it a cottage pie.
Final Words
If you want to create a really smooth and creamy, you need to use a potato ricer or sieve. You can stop the mash from sinking into the meat by allowing the pie to be cool first; then, you can add the mash and the toppings to serve a delicious and pretty-looking cottage pie.
I hope that this recipe has helped you cook the best cottage pie ever; if you have any more queries, please engage us in the comment.
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