Cottage Pie

Cottage Pie
Warm, comforting and an instant classic.
Directions for: Cottage Pie

Ingredients

Filling

4 Tbsp vegetable oil

500 g ground beef

2 Tbsp butter

cup diced onion, about 1/2 medium

1 cup diced celery, about 1 stalk

2 cup diced carrot, about 2 medium

2 clove garlic, minced

1 heaping tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup red wine

2 1/2 cups beef stock

1 sprig rosemary

1 sprig thyme

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper to taste

Potatoes

7 medium cooking potatoes, peeled and quartered

3 clove garlic, smashed

cup butter, cut into cubes

cup 35% whipping cream

cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

For Assembly

1 9-inch square casserole dish

Extra grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp butter

cup bread crumbs (optional)

Salt and pepper

Irish Peas and Cabbage

2 cup frozen sweet peas

2 strips bacon, roughly diced

heads small Savoy cabbage, core removed and thinly sliced

small onion, sliced

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Filling

1. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to large saucepot over medium high heat. Add ground beef.

2. Allow excess liquid to bubble away; stir and cook until meat is well browned and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Drain excess fat using a colander.

3. Deglaze pot with red wine, scraping up browned bits and let reduce slightly.

4. in another large pot, add remaining vegetable oil over medium high heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; cook until golden, about 5-7 minutes.

5. Add garlic, stir briefly and add tomato paste. Brown paste slightly and sprinkle in flour. Cook out for a minute or two

6. Add in red wine from deglazing beef, scraping up crispy brown bits from bottom of pan.

7. Add beef stock, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Return browned meat to pot. Simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes.

8. Remove lid and continue cooking for another 10 minutes; liquid will reduce and thicken. Remove rosemary, thyme and bay leaf. Season well with salt and pepper.

Potatoes

1. Add quartered potatoes and smashed garlic to medium pot. Fill pot with cold water just to cover potatoes; season cooking water well with salt (it should taste like the sea) and bring to a boil.

2. Boil on medium high heat until potatoes are tender but not overdone, about 15-20 minutes.

3. Strain potatoes; let dry out slightly in colander before returning to pot. Add cream, butter, pepper, Parmesan cheese and more salt if necessary.

4. Mash roughly with fork or potato masher.

For Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 400. Spoon filling into the bottom of a 10-inch round casserole dish. Top with potatoes.

2. Grate parmesan cheese on top and dot surface evenly with butter. Season with salt and pepper and, if using, sprinkle over bread crumbs

3. Bake on middle rack until top is golden and filling is warmed through, about 20-25 minutes. Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

Irish Peas and Cabbage

1. Heat vegetable oil in a medium pan over medium high heat. Saute bacon until light golden.

2. Add sliced onion and saut until onion is translucent and just starting to colour. Add cabbage and sweat, cooking down until cabbage softens, about 5 minutes.

3. Blanch peas in a pot of boiling salted water. Drain and add to cabbage mixture. Add butter and fold to coat lightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

See more: Beef, Potatoes, Vegetables, Winter, Dinner, Main, St Patrick's Day