speedylee: **[Cottage Pie](https://www.recipetineats.com/cottage-pie/)** by RecipeTin Eats
*Prep Time: 15 mins, Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins, Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins, Servings: 5-6*
**Ingredients**
* 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
* 2 garlic cloves , minced
* 1 onion , finely chopped
* 1 carrot , finely chopped*
* 1 rib celery , finely chopped*
* 750 g / 1.5 lb ground beef (mince)
* 3 tbsp flour
* 3 tbsp tomato paste
* 2 cups / 500 ml beef stock / broth (500 ml)
* 1/2 cup / 125 ml red wine (125 ml) (optional – can omit)
* 1 beef bouillon cube , crumbled
* 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
* 1 tsp dried thyme or 3 sprigs fresh thyme
* 2 dried bay leaves
*Topping*
* 1.2 kg / 2.5 lb potatoes , peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes
* 1/2 cup / 125 ml milk (125 ml)
* 2 tbsp / 30g butter
* Nutmeg (optional)
* Olive oil
**Instructions**
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Then add carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened and sweet.
2. Turn heat up to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned.
3. Add flour and mix in, then add tomato paste and mix in.
4. Add beef stock, red wine, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to simmer, then turn down heat so it is simmering rapidly – I have it on medium high. Cook for 20 – 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it reduces down to a gravy consistency (Note 1) (see video).
5. Transfer to 6 cup pie dish (1.5 litre / quart). Cover, then refrigerate to cool for 1 – 2 hours or overnight. (Note 2)
*Assemble Pie*
6. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
7. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain then return to pot on turned off stove. Shake briefly and allow to steam dry for 30 seconds or so (Note 3).
8. Add butter and mash until melted, then add milk and salt (+ optional nutmeg). Mash until smooth.
9. Spread onto pie, use a fork to rough up the surface (rougher surface = more golden bits), drizzle with olive oil.
10. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling on the edges.
11. Stick a knife into the middle to ensure it is piping hot.
12. Stand for 5 minutes before serving, garnished with fresh thyme leaves if desired.
**Recipe Notes**
1. Whatever the thickness of the sauce when you pour it into the tin, that’s what it will be once baked – no steam escapes while baking to allow it to reduce any further. So keep cooking until it’s the consistency you want.
2. Cooling the filling ensures that the potato doesn’t sink into the filling. If you are in a rush – as I often am – pop it in the freezer while you make the potato. That works pretty well.
3. Watery potatoes drops excess liquid while baking into the filling which makes the sauce watery. So don’t skip the step of steam drying the potatoes! Also, make sure the mash is hot when spreading onto the pie. Cold mash is hard and so it is harder to dollop / spread onto the pie.
4. Variations: If I’m making this for company or am on a calorie-blow-out mission, I add a big handful of cheese into the potato and also top with more cheese before baking. It doesn’t need it, it’s a bonus. For the filling, sometimes I add peas, or I reduce the amount of beef and add chopped veggies like zucchini.
5. Make ahead instructions: Assemble pie but don’t bake it. Cool mashed potato topping then either refrigerate or freeze. Thaw if frozen (it will take way too long to bake from frozen) then bake as per recipe.
gizmosdancin: Any recipe with a doggy at the end gets an upvote.
allurmemesrbelong2me: Y’all, I could bathe in that shit.
Dispari_Scuro: This stuff is pretty good. I make it every so often. It’s usually called Shepherd’s Pie if done with lamb mince, but I’m more a fan of doing it with beef.
Loknagar: How long would this last in a refrigerator? I work out of town a lot, staying in hotels and I like to bring my own casseroles so I can save money and not have to eat so much fast food.
Grunherz: You gotta put some thyme, Worcestershire, and brown sauce in the gravy! Shit’s delicious
SorryImUncontrite: Not smothered in a ridiculous amount of cheese. Gets an upvote from me.
NickH6302: Oh, and the gravy! Don’t get me started on the gravy. Very difficult to get right. See, a lot of people give up on the gravy. You cannot give up on the gravy.
LazyAssedAssasin: No worcestershire? Blasphemy!
A variant I’ve found really elevates the dish is to sear the beef at the beginning smash burger style and leave it slightly undercooked, you end up with a nice fond on the bottom of the pan. Remove the beef and cook up the rest of the mince, add the beef back in when adding the tomato paste.
Bresdin: So beef, beef stock, and a beef cube? Why the cube?
Sudz705: This looks really good! Someone tell me why they fucked it up and provide your substitutions…
Steveflip: If you put cheese on the top it becomes a Cumberland Pie
OstensiblyAwesome: If you’re already using beef broth you shouldn’t need to add bouillon as well.
sunto22: The dog at the end made me think it was a dog food recipe
boston_shua: Would be interesting with turkey and sweet potatoes as well, for Thanksgiving.
TDCents: Who the hell mashes potatoes with a spatula?
Looks good tho
virtualmitch101: For those who might have the same question as I did…
https://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-shepherds-pie/
WhirlingDervishes: I’ve made this vegan and it’s still great and hearty. Just mushrooms and peas intead of beef and veggie stock instead of beef stock.
Also this is something that’s been revealed to me recently but throw the garlic in the pot a little later. Gets a better garlic flavor out of everything.
nandm0704: This reminds me of Shepard’s pie as a kid.
espernz: That sharpards pie looks delish
TTheorem: *Sees how fine you have the mince carrots and celery*
*Loses all hope*
thegodzilla25: Doggo gets the upvote.
Acidophilus_23: No layer of mixed veggies in the middle (corn, peas, diced carrot & green beans)? Also no thin layer of cheese on top?
giffer44: Cottage Pie? Like, from someone’s cottage?
RestingCat: So distasteful to use bouillon cubes. They taste like shit and are lazy.
Past_Contour: You mean shepherds pie?