Cottage Pie
Nothing beats the comfort of a good Cottage Pie in Winter. Or any cool day for that matter. When the months get a little warmer, I love the slightly lighter “Shepherds Pie” which is essentially the same dish but made with lamb mince, swap out beef stock for chicken stock and you can also omit the red wine. But in Winter, I love the rich taste of a beef Cottage Pie and the little pops of flavour from the green peas.
The trick is to spend a lot of time getting the mince rich and full of flavour and then adding parmesan to the potato for a rich golden crust. Pair with a luscious Shiraz from Passing Clouds, with deep fruit and great layers of spice.
1kg minced beef
1 brown onions, finely chopped
1 leek, thinly sliced (or use 2 brown onions)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or crushed)
2 sticks celery, finely diced
1 large carrot, finely diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp plain flour
250 ml red wine
500 ml beef stock
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chopped thyme
200 g frozen peas
1.25kg potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
50 g butter
150ml cream
1 cup quality parmesan, grated
2 tbsp chives, finely chopped (can substitute with parsley)
Olive oil
Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 220°C (180°C fan). Heat a large heavy-bottom frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of olive oil. When hot, add in mince, breaking it up so there are no large clumps but don’t stir constantly. Season with salt and pepper. You want the mince to brown thoroughly all over. Transfer to a bowl.
Add a little more oil to the pan and then add onion, leek and garlic. Stir well and get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. When soft, add carrot and celery and cook for a further 5-6 minutes. Getting really good flavour into the vegetables and making sure you scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan will really give your mince a great flavour.
Return the mince to the pan and add the tomato puree and flour. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes and then add the red wine. Cook for a few minutes before adding Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and thyme. Check the seasoning and add a little more salt if needed along with some freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened and the flavour has intensified. This will take about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the potatoes to a large saucepan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Drain well into a colander and leave to dry for 3-4 minutes. Return the potatoes to the saucepan over low heat. Add the butter and cream and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in half of the parmesan and cover the saucepan and rest in a warm place.
When the beef mince is ready, stir through the peas and then spoon into a large baking dish. I prefer a dish that isn’t too deep so that there is a lot more surface area for the potato to brown. Using a spatula, spoon the mashed potato over the mince making sure the top is even and smooth. Then with a fork, lightly score the top and sprinkle over the remaining cheese.
Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chives or parsley before serving.
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Cottage Pie
Ingredients
- 1kg minced beef
- 1 brown onions, finely chopped
- 1 leek, thinly sliced (or use 2 brown onions)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped (or crushed)
- 2 sticks celery, finely diced
- 1 large carrot, finely diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 250 ml red wine
- 500 ml beef stock
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp chopped thyme
- 200 g frozen peas
- 1.25kg potatoes, peeled and cut into medium chunks
- 50 g butter
- 150ml cream
- 1 cup quality parmesan, grated
- 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped (can substitute with parsley)
- Olive oil
- Salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan). Heat a large heavy-bottom frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a small amount of olive oil. When hot, add in mince, breaking it up so there are no large clumps but don’t stir constantly. Season with salt and pepper. You want the mince to brown thoroughly all over. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and then add onion, leek and garlic. Stir well and get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. When soft, add carrot and celery and cook for a further 5-6 minutes. Getting really good flavour into the vegetables and making sure you scrape up all the bits on the bottom of the pan will really give your mince a great flavour.
- Return the mince to the pan and add the tomato puree and flour. Cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes and then add the red wine. Cook for a few minutes before adding Worcestershire sauce, beef stock and thyme. Check the seasoning and add a little more salt if needed along with some freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened and the flavour has intensified. This will take about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the potatoes to a large saucepan of cold salted water. Bring to the boil and cook until tender. Drain well into a colander and leave to dry for 3-4 minutes. Return the potatoes to the saucepan over low heat. Add the butter and cream and mash until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in half of the parmesan and cover the saucepan and rest in a warm place.
- When the beef mince is ready, stir through the peas and then spoon into a large baking dish. I prefer dish that isnt too deep so that there is a lot more surface area for the potato to brown. Using a spatula, spoon the mashed potato over the mince making sure the top is even and smooth. Then with a fork, lightly score the top and sprinkly over the remaining cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Remove from the oven and rest for 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chives or parsley before serving.
