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Family dinner
Cottage Pie
A savoury beef and vegetable filling under crisp-edged buttery mash, with enough reduction in the gravy to keep each slice distinct.
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Ingredients
Beef filling
- 1 1/2 tbspvegetable oil
- 750 g10% fat beef mince
- 1large onion (about 200g), finely diced
- 2carrots (about 180g), cut into 8mm dice
- 2celery sticks (about 140g), cut into 8mm dice
- 3garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsptomato puree
- 1 tbspplain flour
- 200 mldry red wine or extra beef stock
- 400 mlbeef stock
- 1 tbspWorcestershire sauce
- 1 tspdried thyme
- 1bay leaf
- 150 gfrozen peas
- 1 1/4 tspfine salt
- 1/2 tspblack pepper
Potato topping
- 1.4 kgfloury potatoes, such as Maris Piper, peeled and cut into even chunks
- 75 gbutter
- 120 mlwhole milk, warmed
- 1egg yolk
- 3/4 tspfine salt
- 1/4 tspwhite or black pepper
Per serving
640 kcal36.0g protein57g carbs28g fat
Nutrition calculated from 21 of 22 ingredients; manual fallback used
Approximately 640 kcal, 36g protein, 57g carbohydrate, 28g fat and 8g fibre per serving.
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Method
- 01
Heat half the oil
6 minHeat half the oil in the saute pan over high heat. Brown the beef in three batches, allowing 5-6 minutes per batch so it colours rather than steams. Transfer each batch to a bowl.
- 02
Reduce the heat to medium
11 minReduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining oil, onion, carrot, celery and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 10-12 minutes until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the tomato puree for 2 minutes.
- 03
Stir in the flour
3 minStir in the flour for 1 minute. Gradually add the wine, scraping the pan, and bubble for 3 minutes. Add the stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay, browned beef, remaining salt and pepper.
- 04
Simmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes
32 minSimmer uncovered for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick enough that a spoon drawn through the pan leaves a brief trail. Stir in the frozen peas for 2 minutes, remove the bay and taste for seasoning.
- 05
While the filling simmers
18 minWhile the filling simmers, cover the potatoes with cold salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until completely tender. Drain thoroughly and leave in the hot pan for 2 minutes to steam dry.
- 06
Mash or rice the potatoes
3 minMash or rice the potatoes until smooth. Beat in the butter, warm milk, egg yolk, salt and pepper without overworking the mash.
- 07
Heat the oven to 200°C fan
10 minHeat the oven to 200°C fan. Spoon the filling into the ovenproof dish and leave it to cool for 10 minutes. Add the mash in spoonfuls, spread to the edges, then roughen the surface with a fork.
- 08
Place the dish
28 minPlace the dish on a baking tray and bake for 25-30 minutes until bubbling at the edges and well browned on top. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Equipment check
6 items required
- Large saute pan or casserole
- Large saucepan
- Potato masher or ricer
- 2.5 litre ovenproof dish, about 30 x 20 x 6cm
- Baking tray
- Fork
Dietary and allergen note: Contains dairy, celery and fish (Worcestershire sauce). Gluten-free if the stock and Worcestershire sauce are suitable.
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Recipe diagnostics
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Metric quantities and serving yield are explicit
Method includes timing and doneness cues
Nutrition is identified as a calculated estimate
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