The Best Cottage Pie Recipes

Steps:

• 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.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• To Make Meat Filling: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in ground beef and saute 1 minute. Add onion and carrot, then continue to saute until meat is no longer pink and onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, cinnamon, mixed herbs, and parsley.
• In a small bowl, combine beef broth and tomato paste. Mix together, then add to beef mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all of liquid has been absorbed. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
• To Make Potato Topping: Place diced potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and place over high heat. Allow to come to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
• Mash potatoes until smooth, then add butter or margarine, followed by milk. Whip until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes over beef filling. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until top is browned and cheese is bubbly.

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Crumble in the mince and stir to coat the meat in the hot oil. Cook the mince for 15 mins until you are left with browned, toasted mince and the fat from the meat. Stir the vegetables in with the mince and cook for 10 mins until they start to turn brown. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2 mins. Stir in the herbs, ketchup and tomato purée, and splash in the Worcestershire sauce. Pour in the ale, bubble for a minute, then gradually stir in the stock. Leave everything to simmer gently for 1 hr until you have a tender mince in a rich gravy.
• Use a slotted spoon to lift the mince and vegetables into a large baking dish, leaving the residual gravy in the pan. Drain the gravy through a sieve into another saucepan, then tip what remains in the sieve back into the baking dish. Leave the mince to cool, then put in the fridge (or, better still, the freezer if you have room) for at least 1 hr until the fat from the mince solidifies. This part can be made up to two days ahead.
• While the meat sauce is cooling, make the cheesy potato topping. Tip the potatoes, whole and in their skins, into a large pan of salted water. Bring the pan to the boil and simmer for 15 mins until the potatoes are cooked all the way through. Drain off the water and leave until the potatoes are just cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, boil the milk, butter and mustard powder together in a large saucepan. Peel the cooked potatoes by rubbing their skins off with a tea towel. Mash or pass the potatoes through a ricer into the hot milk and butter, stir through the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
• When the meat sauce has set, top with the mash. Start from the outside and use a spatula to scrape the mash against the side of the dish, then spread it over the middle of the dish. Using a fork, make lines across the topping. Can be frozen for up to 6 months.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the pie on a large baking tray to catch any drips and bake for 30-35 mins until golden. Leave it to rest for at least 10 mins while you heat up the extra gravy. Serve the pie at the table with green vegetables and the jug of extra gravy for pouring over.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beef or meat alternative. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, breaking up the beef or meat alternative, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the lentils and sprinkle with the flour; stir to combine.
• Whisk together the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk in the mushroom or beef broth and add to the pan, scraping any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, season with more salt and pepper if needed, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the topping.
• For the topping: Cover the potatoes and garlic with a few inches of cold water into a large pot. Season well with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, roughly mash the veg. Add the milk, butter and cream cheese and mash until the desired texture is reached. Season with more salt.
• Stir the frozen veg into the filling and remove from the heat. Top with the mash, spreading it into an even layer and scatter with the grated Cheddar. Transfer the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet just in case there is any bubble over and bake for until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Allow the pie to cool slightly before serving.

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry 1¼ kg beef mince until browned - you may need to do this in batches. Set aside as it browns.
• Put the other 2 tbsp olive oil into the pan, add 2 finely chopped onions, 3 chopped carrots and 3 chopped celery sticks and cook on a gentle heat until soft, about 20 mins.
• Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 tbsp plain flour and 1 tbsp tomato purée, increase the heat and cook for a few mins, then return the beef to the pan.
• Pour over a large glass of red wine, if using, and boil to reduce it slightly before adding the 850ml beef stock, 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, a few thyme sprigs and 2 bay leaves.
• Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 mins. By this time the gravy should be thick and coating the meat. Check after about 30 mins - if a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat slightly to reduce the gravy a little. Season well, then discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
• Meanwhile, make the mash. In a large saucepan, cover the 1.8kg potatoes which you've peeled and chopped, in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender.
• Drain well, then allow to steam-dry for a few mins. Mash well with the 225ml milk, 25g butter, and three-quarters of the 200g strong cheddar cheese, then season with freshly grated nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
• Spoon the meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
• If eating straight away, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins, or until the topping is golden.
• If you want to use a slow cooker, brown your mince in batches then tip into your slow cooker and stir in the vegetables, flour, purée, wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs with some seasoning. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours. Make the mash following the previous steps, and then oven cook in the same way to finish.