Pieday Friday Recipe – Cottage Pie

I wanted to share with you my triumphant cottage pie – when it was in the oven, it did something I’ve never seen before: it puffed up! Is this a normal occurence when making cottage or shepherds pie? It’s certainly never happened to me before! I’ve never seen mashed potato inflate before! And, I am pleased to report it was delicious too!

Here’s the recipe I used (this makes two big cottage pies – one for eating, one for the freezer!) :

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1¼ kg beef mince
• 2 onions and 3 carrots , chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato purée and 1tsp garlic puree
• 850ml beef stock
• 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1sp mixed herbs
• For the Mash: 1.5kg Potatoes plus a little milk, butter and grated cheese to taste

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and fry the mince until browned, then set aside. Put the rest of the oil into the pan, add the vegetables and cook on a gentle heat until soft, about 20 mins. Add the garlic and tomato purée, then return the beef to the pan. Add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, mixed herbs and season well. Bring to a simmer until the gravy is thick and coating the meat.
2. Meanwhile, make the mash. In a large saucepan simmer the potatoes until tender. Drain and mash well with the milk and butter.
3. Spoon meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on a little 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.