Comfort Food: Cottage Pie Recipe

March 08, 2023

A hearty and delicious Cottage pie, a perfect comfort food!
cottage pie
 

What is cottage pie?

A classic British dish consist of minced beef cooked with vegetables, topped with smooth mashed potatoes.

It is baked till golden brown and crisp around the edges.

This simple and inexpensive dish was said to be around in the 18th century, using leftover meat and whatever they had in their pantry during those time.



What is the difference between cottage pie and shepherd's pie?

Cottage pie and shepherd's pie, both has minced meat, cooked with vegetables and topped with mashed potatoes.

However, the main difference is the meat used.

Cottage pie uses minced beef while shepherd's pie uses mince lamb!

Ingredients to make Cottage pie.

Ingredients that you need to make this cottage pie:
1. Minced beef
2. Onion
3. Garlic
4. Tomato paste
5. Bay leaves
6. Frozen peas
7. Carrots
8. Potatoes
9. Pantry : salt, pepper, butter, milk, Worchester sauce and oil

How to make cottage pie?

List of ingredients and methodology are in the recipe card below.
However, I will take you through step by step on how to make this delicious cottage pie.

Step 1: Brown the beef


olive oil in a pan.
Add olive oil in a pan.

Add about a third of minced beef into the hot pan
Add about a third of minced beef into the hot pan.
Stir to ensure nothing stick to the pan.

Remove the almost browned beef into a bowl.
Remove the almost browned beef into a bowl.

Repeat this step twice more.

Step 2: Making the gravy/sauce

Cottage pie has that silky taste to it.
Hence I call this the gravy stage.
Saute for at least 5 minutes or until the onions has become soft and translucent.
Using the same pan, add 2 tablespoon olive oil and add diced onion into the pan.
Saute for at least 5 minutes or until the onions has become soft and translucent.

Add garlic to the onion.
Add garlic to the onion.
Stir

Then add flour.
Then add flour.

cook the flour thoroughly
Make sure to cook the flour thoroughly and stir as not to let the flour stick and burn at the bottom of the pan.

Add water.
Add water.
You can substitute water with beef stock.

I am using the juices from the beef to flavour my meat filling for my cottage pie.

Cook until the 'sauce' thicken.
Cook until the 'sauce' thicken.

Add tomato paste.
Add tomato paste.

Add bay leaves.
Add bay leaves.

Add worchestershire sauce to the thickened sauce.
Add worchestershire sauce to the thickened sauce.

Step 3: Vegetables

Frozen peas and carrots are the 2 commonly used vegetables to be added to cottage pie.
They both provide some sweetness as well as colours to the boring brown meat filling.

Add frozen peas to the pan.
Add frozen peas to the pan.
Add carrots.
Add carrots.
Diced the carrots to almost the same size as the frozen peas.

Stir
Stir

Step 4: Add the par-cooked meat filling.

Add beef back into the pan
Add beef back into the pan.
As well as the juice that was sitting at the bottom of the bowl :).

Add salt and pepper
Add salt and pepper.

Step 5: Mashed potato.

Follow the steps in the recipe card below on how to make mashed potatoes.
Add mash potatoes on top of the beef layer.
Add mash potatoes on top of the beef layer.
Note: you can use the same pan if it can fit into your oven and its oven safe!

Spread the mashed potato to make an even surface.
Spread the mashed potato to make an even surface.

Make some grooves for some crisp mashed potat
Make some grooves for some crisp mashed potato (if I only make mine with deeper groove!)

Cottage pie is ready to be baked
Cottage pie is ready to be baked in a 180C oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

best cottage pie recipe
I made 2 single serve cottage pie for photo purposes!

What to serve with cottage pie?

You can serve this cottage pie with extra steam vegetables or drizzle some gravy on top.
But I like my cottage pie as is.

It has gravy, it has vegetables, protein as well as carb, to make a filling and satisfying dinner!

FAQ on Cottage Pie.

1. What to do with leftover?

Place them in an air-tight container and place in the fridge.
Reheat in microwave before eating.

2. Can I freeze cottage pie?

You can freeze cottage pie but I will not recommend doing so.
The potato will change in texture and taste once frozen.
Well, I do not enjoy eating potato that does not taste like one :( !

3. Can I make cottage pie ahead of time?

Absolutely!
You can pre-cook everything, from beef to mashed potato, then assemble cottage pie in an oven proof dish.
Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Just bake the cottage pie the next day.

what to serve with cottage pie


Other Beef recipes on the blog

Beef stroganoff in slow cooker
Baby bocconcini meatball
Beef spareribs

Video on How to make Cottage Pie








Easy cottage pie is a classic British dish that is both hearty and delicious.

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