Cottage Pie-Simply the Best

"Now this is REAL comfort food - its Simple to make and tastes wonderful and if necessary you can stretch it that bit further with more vegetables in the filling"
 
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photo by gailanng photo by gailanng
photo by gailanng
photo by gailanng photo by gailanng
photo by Baby Kato photo by Baby Kato
photo by Baby Kato photo by Baby Kato
photo by Baby Kato photo by Baby Kato
Ready In:
1hr 20mins
Ingredients:
16
Serves:
4-6
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ingredients

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directions

  • Heat oil in a medium saucepan; add the diced onion, carrot, garlic and mushrooms, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add beef to pan and cook stirring with a fork until sealed and brown.
  • Add the stock, bay leaf, tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf salt and pepper.
  • Simmer gently for half an hour, reducing liquid and thicken if necessary. Place in ovenproof pie dish and allow to cool.
  • Cook potato, with the 1 diced onion. When cooked, mash the potato, adding the milk, parsley, pepper and salt to taste.
  • Spread the mash evenly over the meat.
  • Place in hot (200c) oven for approximately 30-35 minutes until golden brown.
  • Serve with other cooked vegetables.
  • Note: for a nice variation, you can add some grated cheese to the mash, stir in well and proceed as usual.

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Reviews

  1. Simply luscious! I can't wait to try it as written, but had leftover turkey and mashed potatoes so made a few changes. I used turkey broth, carrots, onions, celery and peas. I made the broth with a bay leaf, and I did thicken it with flour and lots of turkey chunks. Also, I added an egg to the leftover mashed potatoes, my mom always did that, so I do too. Thanks, Joy for letting me play with your recipe! Made for Make my Recipe Reunion, 2012
     
  2. First time I ever had a Cottage Pie and I can tell you that it won't be the last. Thank you JoyfulCook for sharing this delicious recipe. It was easy to make with excellent results. The flavor of the meat is exceptional, we really enjoyed it. I used a combination of leeks and sweet onion with the meat and green onions in the mashed potatoes. Loved the flavor that the bay leaf adds to the dish. I will be making this again often, into my keeper box, this goes. :)
     
  3. I agree with an earlier reviewer that this recipe is bland. First of all, and I knew this going in, cooking the meat & vegetable mixture for an hour, then baking it, completely cooked out the flavors, even though I added more seasoning than called for. I even made the tomato paste from my own delicious greenhouse tomatoes. If I make this again, I will reduce the stock separately of the meat, which I will add to the reduced stock and vegetables at the end. I made my own garlic/chive mashed potatoes, which have nothing to do with this recipe, and they are the best part.
     
  4. I really liked this. At the last minute, just before topping with the mashed potatoes, I added about 3/4 Cup of frozen peas to the meat mixture. Didn't bother to thaw them, figured the warm mixture and the baking would work to heat them just fine (it did). I added some grated cheese to the top of the mashed potatoes and that gave it a very good extra flavor. No fresh mushrooms in the house so I used a small can of sliced mushrooms. I added extra Worcestershire Sauce (1 or 2 tsp. I suppose). Baking in a 350 deg. F oven did not brown it much so I turned it up to 375 for the last ten minutes. Next time, I'll bake it at 400° F for the 25 or 30 minutes cooking time. I liked this from the first bite and I liked it better and better as I continued to eat it. I'll be making this often during the upcoming cold weather. I've no basis for comparison since I've never had Cottage Pie or Shepherd's Pie before, but I really like this! Thanks for posting this.
     
  5. The family demolished this in seconds, but while cooking, it nearly drove Dog crazy. His black lips parted showing me his white canines in his peculiar doggy-smile kind of way. He repeatedly ran one side of his head along my leg. Dog's at my mercy. Make no mistake. He relies on my grocery list. (Uh oh, better go check my charge card.) Made for A-NZ Reunion Recipe Tag.
     
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

We now reside back in England after returning from Australia after most of our working life there. I have been fortunate enough to have lived in many countries when I was younger and therefore many of my recipes reflect this! Love to cook. love to travel too
 
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