Cottage pie

~ Sophie

We’ve discussed shepherd’s pie previously – and here is its delicious cousin. Deeply savoury and immensely cosy, this is proper nursery food. Feeds 4.

  • 750g beef mince
  • 3 tbsp veg oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 beef stock cube
  • 3 tbsp tomato puree
  • 3 dashes worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 400ml boiling water
  • 1 sprig rosemary, needles stripped from the twig and finely chopped
  • 2 sprigs thyme, leaves stripped and finely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 heaped tsp cornflour
  • 1 kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into big chunks
  • 50g butter
  • 50ml whole milk
  • 3 tbsp grated parmesan
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Heat oil in deep frying pan over a high heat and add the minced beef
  2. Cook the mince, stirring and breaking into small pieces, until well browned
  3. Remove the mince from the pan, turn the heat to low and add the 2 tbsp butter
  4. Add the onion, stir and cook for 5 mins until soft
  5. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook for another couple of mins
  6. Add the tomato puree and crumbled stock cubes and stir together until it coats the onion
  7. Add the mustard, worcestershire sauce and boiling water, scraping all the delicious brown off the bottom of the pan
  8. Add the mince back to the pan, along with the herbs, salt and pepper
  9. Bring to a bubble, then cover and simmer for 30-45 mins, stirring occasionally
  10. While this cooks, make the mash and pre-heat the oven to 200C fan (220C)
  11. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil
  12. Tip the potato pieces into the boiling water and cook for 15-20 mins until soft
  13. Drain the potatoes and put back into the pan with the butter, milk, a bit of salt and plenty of pepper
  14. Mash well until smooth and then stir through the grated parmesan
  15. When the mince is cooked, in a small cup mix together the cornflour with 1 tsp water and stir until smooth. Pour into the mince and stir together over a low heat until it goes clear and thickens into a rich gravy
  16. Taste everything for seasoning and then you’re ready to construct your cottage pie
  17. Empty the mince into the base of a large ceramic or glass baking dish. Top with big dollops of mash, gently joining the potato islands together until it covers the top of the pie from edge to edge
  18. Bake for 30 mins until golden and crisp on top

Serve with peas and a spoon and a comfy sofa

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