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cottage pie

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a bit of history

Cottage Pie, a really old-fashioned dish that has never fallen from grace. The word "Cottage" relates to farmers cottages and this is made with beef mince then topped with a creamy "Mash" potato topping and baked in the oven, hence it being called a "Pie". It dates back to 1791 when the price of potatoes in England and Ireland became affordable. Richer people had folk to make Pastry to contain their meat in, so the Mash Pie was created, but no one knows by whom. I've tried to find out gave up. But yes, I do applaud them though, who can imagine a life with out Pie!

I do love a Meaty-Potato-Mash-Pie! Regarded way back as inexpensive — so it has to feature in Nutty's Kitchen dishes, it's a true classic! I could add that Shepherd's Pie, which I call Lamb Mash Pie is the same process and always was. My nan & my mum made it with sliced carrots and slices of onions that you could see in the served dish ( Sorry MUM ) but I make all that disappear into the meat. A bit o' historical studying later - more knowledge - it's obvious you would think? But NO! Mutton was used in Cottage Pie too!!! Confused? Join the club. NO ONE truely knows but, in the 20th century The practice of Cookery and Pastry 1854 said "Cold dressed meat of any kind roasted or boiled" this comes from Thomson House Cottage Pie: A History — fascinating stuff...Okay NVM I have a feeling ya all stopped listening. The history of food is a mine field - So lets cook! Toasty savory and softly wonderful beefy stuffs

Click the Method tab below to see a step by step guide on how to make Cottage Pie with pictures.

cottage pie cooked 1

ingredients

Here's what you need :¬)

serves 4 - 6

for the Cottage Mash Pie base

  • 450g beef mince
  • 1/2 large white onions finely diced
  • 2 carrots finely diced
  • 2 sticks of celery finely diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic diced finely
  • 1 large onion sliced
  • 2 small fresh tomatoes
  • 1 OXO™ beef stock cube crumbled
  • 1 OXO™ vegetable stock cube crumbled
  • 3 tsp of horse radish sauce
  • 2 tsp Bovril™ beef paste
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 125ml hot water
  • 1 tin of baked beans

Finely chopping veg into mince size please! I wack them all into a food processor with the blade attachment give a stir and repeat hence the need to then add the the sliced onions. Our time cooking is precious & enjoyable. But if I have a gadget to do it for me? What's not to love!

for the mash top

  • 1.2 kg potatoes
  • 1 Tblsp Salt
  • 50ml warm milk
  • 50g warm butter

method

Try not to replace Bovril with Marmite it is definitely NOT going to work, there's No Beef in Marmite™ - save that for ya toast! If you do not have Bovril add another beef stock cube & or, if your wallet allows, red wine — No gravy granules please, its just not allowed!

I as usual double the quantity of filling with vegetables, adding flavour and healthily bulking out the meat. As we all know, we eat far too much of it. But, who can resist rich beefy ragu style minced beef topped off with hot creamy mash :-) Now I controversially add a tin of baked beans in it's own tomato sauce, you can choose not to but, once I've put them into mine adding protien and that thing I adore - flavour! I have yet again stretched my pennies as I pay 35 pence for a tin! So this is similar to my Corned Beef Mash Pie and makes a really comforting dinner on a cold winters night

  1. Dissolve your OXO™ cubes in hot water
  2. Get a heavy bottomed pan and heat to very hot
  3. Add your mince in three batches
  4. Break it down with your fingers into strands as you add
  5. Wash your hands each stage*

*or as my favourite chef James Martin says most Saturday mornings "You'll get phone calls" Or, I say possibly "get very sick or die!" Hey I'm Nutty! Just saying :-)

  1. Once browned, push the mince to one side of the pan
  2. Add your carrots, celery, diced onion and garlic
add the veg
carrots celery onion mince
  1. Once they have reduced by half combine with the meat
  2. Push everything aside and add your sliced onions
  3. Allow them to sweat down
  4. Stir to combine
  5. Continue until the pan dries and stops steaming
  6. Season with your OXO™ liquid, salt & pepper
  7. Add Worcestershire sauce & Bovril™
  8. Add your baked beans (Still optional)
add baked beans
cottage pie filling cooking
  1. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid for 30 mins
  2. Leave on a very low heat

Start your potatoes:

  1. Put your potatoes into a large pan, cover with water
  2. Add salt, once boiling set a timer for 20 mins
  3. Check that they are soft enough to mash
  4. Put your oven onto pre-heat @180c
  5. Drain the potatoes in a colander
  6. Set the pan back onto hot ring
  7. Add milk & butter & allow it to melt
  8. Put the potatoes back into the pan
  9. Mash with a potato masher
  10. Whisk with a fork or stiff whisk*
  11. Check the seasoning
creamy mash potato
mash in pan

*Ensure your mash is quite wet as the meat mixture is fairly dry. Add more milk &/or butter to make the mash softer. This is how to make your mash creamy and totally lump free - Use a whisk or fork to cream the mash and get rid of every lump, if you try to do it with just the potato masher, it can become overworked and starchy turning into a gloopy paste.

Now get a large dish and set your meat mixture in the bottom - go for a 50/50 ratio of meat and mash depth that ensures a crispy topping — use a large dish to maximize the amount of crunchy golden toasted topping, a deeper dish will give you a wetter pie with not so much crunch!

add filling to oven proof dish
cottage pie filling in dish
  1. Add your mash starting from the edges
start topping from the edges
cottage pie mash around edges
  1. Fill the center & set on a tray in the oven
oven ready
cottage pie ready for oven
  1. Bake @ 180c for 45 mins or 1 hour from fridge cold
cottage pie
cottage pie cooked 2
Fresh out of the oven

Loosen the edges with a sharp knife before it cools

cottage pie with crusty golden topping served
cottage pie serving 1
Serve with a spoon & fork :-)