Conventional cottage pie with a wealthy meaty sauce, topped with creamy mashed potato, crisped as much as golden perfection. Take a look at my tip for making certain you additionally get a jug of scrumptious gravy to pour on high.
When Chris and I had been first relationship (over 22 years in the past!), we had a tiny little flat. One night time I made us cottage pie for dinner and we put the leftovers within the fridge.
The subsequent morning, I discovered him frying up the leftovers in a pan – in an enormous combined up mush. He fried it for ages – until it was crisp throughout. Then he positioned it between two slices of buttered bread and smothered it with ketchup.
Who does that?!!!
He’s fairly well-rounded on the subject of meals and cooking. However that was positively one of many weirder moments, watching him eat that ketchup lined monstrosity.
He nonetheless does it now. It’s a factor.
If we’ve the cottage pie on the desk, anybody seeking to scoop out the final portion is given a stern look. That’s Chris’s bizarre breakfast portion.
📋 Elements
📺 Watch learn how to make it
***Full recipe with detailed steps within the recipe card on the finish of this publish***
- Put the potatoes onto boil for the mash, then whereas they’re boiling, fry up onions, celery, carrot, minced beef, seasoning and sprint of Worcestershire sauce. As soon as the meat has browned, add in loads of beef inventory.
- Carry to the boil, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
- Drain and mash the potatoes. I take advantage of a potato ricer (<–affiliate hyperlink) for excellent lump-free mashed potato. We add flavour and creaminess to the mashed potato by stirring in salt, pepper, cream and butter.
- Thicken the meat sauce by stirring in a cornstarch-and-water-mixture. Then use a slotted spoon to scoop out the meat and greens, leaving nearly all of the liquid behind within the pan (don’t fear, there’ll nonetheless be sufficient gravy within the pie itself should you use a slotted spoon). This might be your gravy.
- Spoon the mashed potato on high of the meat in blobs.
- Then use a fork to hitch up the blobs and canopy the meat. Use the fork to ruffle up the mash too – the extra texture you have got, the extra crispy bits your mashed potato can have. Place in a preheated oven at 200C/400F for about 20 minutes, till the highest is golden brown.
Professional Tip
I add in much more inventory then you definitely suppose you would possibly want – that is so you have got sufficient liquid for gravy later.
Simply earlier than it’s prepared, reheat the gravy and serve the cottage pie together with your favorite sides.
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🍽️ What to serve it with
I like to serve mine with peas and pickled purple cabbage (not forgetting that beautiful meaty gravy). Listed here are another nice choices:
Now the query is: Are you going to be making a cottage pie butty with the leftovers? If you’re, I’ve left some directions within the notes part of the recipe card under.
? Often Requested Questions
Sure, make the cottage pie proper as much as the purpose earlier than you set it within the oven. Then shortly cool, cowl and refrigerate, together with the gravy. It needs to be effective within the fridge for as much as a day.
Place within the oven straight from the fridge, for 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F till the potato is golden brown and the meat it beginning to bubble up on the sides.
Warmth the gravy in a pan till piping sizzling.
I discover the mashed potato could be a little watery after freezing, however as long as the pie is absolutely defrosted earlier than reheating, the pie needs to be effective after cooking and crisping up within the oven.
As above make the cottage pie proper as much as the purpose earlier than you set it within the oven. Then shortly cool, cowl and freeze, together with the gravy.
Defrost within the fridge in a single day (guarantee it’s absolutely defrosted all through earlier than reheating), then place within the oven for 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F till the potato is golden brown and the meat is beginning to bubble up on the sides.
Warmth the gravy in a pan till piping sizzling – it could want a splash of water and a whisk to take away any lumps (or you could possibly sieve it).
If I’m making a vegetarian model, I take advantage of quorn mince (or related various) with a lot of very finely chopped mushrooms. Use a tasty vegetarian inventory – akin to Knorr vegetable inventory pots. It’s possible you’ll want to regulate the seasoning, as some vegetable shares may be fairly salty.
Different variation concepts:
- Prime with tacky mash – add 150g (1 ½ cups) grated cheddar to the mashed potato.
- Add bacon bits to the mashed potato.
- Use candy potato as a substitute of standard potato.
- Add in 1 tbsp curry powder, ½ tsp floor coriander, 1 tsp floor cumin and a pinch of chilli flakes when frying the mince for a spicy model. This tastes even higher with candy potato mash on high.
🍲 Extra recipes with Mashed Potato
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Place the potatoes in a pan and canopy with chilly water. Carry to the boil and simmer for quarter-hour.
900 g (2 lbs) floury potatoes
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Whereas the potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 200C/400F (fan).
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Warmth the oil in a big frying pan and prepare dinner the onions, celery, and carrot on medium warmth for 5 minutes till they begin to soften.
1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 giant onion, 1 stick celery, 1 carrot
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Add the minced beef and prepare dinner till browned – breaking apart any items as you go. Add in half the salt and pepper, the Worcestershire sauce, and inventory (see professional tip 1). Simmer for five minutes.
450 g (1 lb) minced beef, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 600 ml (2 1/2 cups) beef inventory
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By this time, the potatoes needs to be cooked. Drain the potatoes and mash utilizing a potato ricer. Add the cream, butter, and remaining salt and pepper and blend collectively.
60 ml (1/4 cup) double (heavy) cream, 60 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
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Combine the cornflour (cornstarch) with three tbsp of chilly water and stir into the simmering beef combination to thicken the sauce (you might want so as to add a bit extra should you prefer it thicker).
1 heaped tbsp cornflour
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Flip off the warmth and use a slotted spoon to scoop out the meat combination and place right into a 7”x 9” (18cmx23cm) baking dish. This could go away many of the gravy behind within the pan.
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Prime the meat with the mashed potatoes (see professional tip 2), and flatten out with a spoon. Tough up the highest of the mash with a fork (so that you get good crispy bits).
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Place within the oven for 20 minutes till the mashed potato is golden brown. Warmth up the gravy, then serve the cottage pie with the gravy, inexperienced veg and a few pickled purple cabbage.
inexperienced veg, pickled purple cabbage
**Professional Tip 2** Spooning the mashed potato on in blobs will enable you get a fair protection and assist stop the meat getting combined in with the mash whenever you unfold it. You merely want to hitch up the blobs.
.Can I make it gluten free?
Sure – that is already a gluten free recipe – offering you utilize gluten free inventory.
Can I make it forward?
Sure, make the cottage pie proper as much as the purpose earlier than you set it within the oven. Then shortly cool, cowl and refrigerate, together with the gravy. It needs to be effective within the fridge for as much as a day.
Place within the oven straight from the fridge, for 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F till the potato is golden brown and the meat it beginning to bubble up on the sides.
Warmth the gravy in a pan till piping sizzling.
Will it freeze?
I discover the mashed potato could be a little watery after freezing, however as long as the pie is absolutely defrosted earlier than reheating, the pie needs to be effective after cooking and crisping up within the oven.
As above make the cottage pie proper as much as the purpose earlier than you set it within the oven. Then shortly cool, cowl and freeze, together with the gravy.
Defrost within the fridge in a single day (guarantee it’s absolutely defrosted all through earlier than reheating), then place within the oven for 20-25 minutes at 200C/400F till the potato is golden brown and the meat is beginning to bubble up on the sides.
Warmth the gravy in a pan till piping sizzling – it could want a splash of water and a whisk to take away any lumps (or you could possibly sieve it).
Can I make a vegetarian model?
Sure. If I’m making a vegetarian model, I take advantage of quorn mince (or related various) with a lot of very finely chopped mushrooms. Use a tasty vegetarian inventory – akin to Knorr vegetable inventory pots. It’s possible you’ll want to regulate the seasoning, as some vegetable shares may be fairly salty.
Different variation concepts:
- Prime with tacky mash – add 150g (1 ½ cups) grated cheddar to the mashed potato.
- Add bacon bits to the mashed potato.
- Use candy potato as a substitute of standard potato.
- Add in 1 tbsp curry powder, ½ tsp floor coriander, 1 tsp floor cumin and a pinch of chilli flakes when frying the mince for a spicy model. This tastes even higher with candy potato mash on high.
Chris’s loopy leftover cottage pie butty directions
- Cool a leftover portion of cottage pie, then cowl and refrigerate.
- The subsequent morning warmth 1.5 tablespoon of impartial oil in a frying pan over a medium-high warmth.
- When the oil is sizzling, add the cottage pie portion. Flatten down with a spatula (sure the minced beef and mash will meld collectively – that’s the thought apparently) and permit to prepare dinner for 4-6 minutes, till crispy and browned beneath.
- Flip it over with a spatula, sprinkle with a salt and pepper, then fry once more for 3-4 additional minutes, giving it a squash with the spatula, till golden brown and absolutely heated via. Flip off the warmth and break up the cottage pie a bit with the spatula.
- Butter two slices of thick white bread and cargo them up with the fried cottage pie (notice: ‘butty model’ is to load up one piece of bread with cottage pie and fold it over, then repeat with the opposite piece of bread. ‘Sandwich model’ is to load up one piece of bread, and place one other piece of bread on high, then slice it in half).
- Smother the cottage pie with ketchup earlier than folding over the bread (or inserting the second piece of bread on high). Add further ketchup to the plate for dipping functions.
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Dietary Data is per serving with gravy, however not together with the serving suggestion of inexperienced greens and pickled purple cabbage/beetroot.
Energy: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 20g | Fats: 17g | Saturated Fats: 10g | Ldl cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 990mg | Potassium: 1064mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2120IU | Vitamin C: 15.5mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 3.2mg
Diet data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
This publish was first revealed November 2028. Up to date in Feb 2021 with new images and video, then Feb 2025 with some housekeeping.
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