Cottage Pie

Ingredients

• 2 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp salt (Plus pinches for seasoning the beef, vegetables, and potato cooking water.)
• 1 tsp black pepper (Plus additional pepper to taste if desired.)
• 2 tbsp butter (For cooking the vegetables in the skillet.)
• 1 yellow onion
• 0.5 cup celery
• 0.5 cup carrot
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cup beef broth
• 0.5 cup dry red wine
• 0.5 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 dried bay leaves
• 2.5 lb potatoes (Dice before boiling.)
• 0.5 cup whole milk
• 5 tbsp butter (Use 4 tablespoons in the mashed potatoes and the remaining 1 tablespoon for drizzling over the topping.)
• 0.75 cup grated Parmesan (Use ½ cup in the mashed potatoes and the remaining ¼ cup on top.)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium heat.

2. 2

   Add the ground beef and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Cook for 5–7 minutes, until just pink or lightly crisped. Transfer the beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving about 1 teaspoon of fat in the skillet.

3. 3

   Add the 2 tablespoons of butter, onion, celery, carrot, and another pinch of salt to the same skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

4. 4

   Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.

5. 5

   Stir in the flour until it is incorporated with the vegetables and fat.

6. 6

   Add the beef broth, red wine, frozen peas, Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Simmer for 7–10 minutes, until the mixture thickens to a gravy-like consistency.

7. 7

   Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Fold the cooked beef back into the gravy mixture and set the skillet aside.

8. 8

   Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the diced potatoes and boil for about 15 minutes, until knife-tender.

9. 9

   Drain the potatoes, return them to the saucepan, and add the milk, 4 tablespoons of the butter, and ½ cup of the Parmesan. Mash until just creamy.

10. 10

    Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the beef mixture in the skillet, covering it completely.

11. 11

    Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the potatoes and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan.

12. 12

    Bake for 30 minutes, until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let the cottage pie stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

The source does not specify how the onion, celery, carrot, or potatoes should be cut beyond describing the potatoes as diced in the transcript. Use an ovenproof 12-inch skillet because the pie is assembled and baked in the same pan.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• British
• comfort food
• baked
• one-pan
• beef
• family dinner