MainBeefModerate

Cottage Pie

Name: Cottage Pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: british
Ingredients: 500 g beef mince; 1 whole onion, finely chopped; 2 whole carrot, finely diced; 2 stalk celery, finely chopped; 2 clove garlic, minced; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 300 ml beef stock; 1 tbsp plain flour; 1 tsp dried thyme, dried; 100 g frozen peas, defrosted; 1 kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled; 40 g butter; 75 ml whole milk, warmed; 40 g mature cheddar, grated

70 min totalServes

A proper British classic with a rich, savoury beef mince filling topped with creamy mashed potato and baked until golden. Straightforward and satisfying, this is the kind of meal that works just as well on a weeknight as it does on a Sunday.

Ingredients

500gbeef mince
1wholeonion- finely chopped
2wholecarrot- finely diced
2stalkcelery- finely chopped
2clovegarlic- minced
2tbsptomato purée
1tbspWorcestershire sauce
300mlbeef stock
1tbspplain flour
1tspdried thyme- dried
100gfrozen peas- defrosted
1kgMaris Piper potatoes- peeled
40gbutter
75mlwhole milk- warmed
40gmature cheddar- grated

Method

1
Prepare the potatoes
Cut the peeled potatoes into even chunks and place in a large pan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15–18 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain well and leave to steam-dry for a couple of minutes before mashing.
2
Make the mince filling
While the potatoes cook, heat a large frying pan or wide saucepan over a high heat. Add the beef mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 5–6 minutes until well browned. Season with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess fat if needed, then push the mince to one side.
3
Build the sauce
Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the pan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, tomato purée, and flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, and beef stock. Stir everything together, bring to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the vegetables are tender. Stir in the peas and season to taste.
4
Mash the potatoes
Mash the drained potatoes until smooth. Beat in the butter and warmed milk until creamy and lump-free. Season well with salt and pepper.
5
Assemble and bake
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Spoon the mince filling into a large ovenproof dish and spread evenly. Spoon the mash on top and spread it out to cover the filling completely, then use a fork to rough up the surface. Scatter over the grated cheddar. Bake for 25–30 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

620 kcal
38g protein
24g fat
62g carbs