Cottage Pie (Potato Topped Pie)

Cottage Pie dinner with creamy mash and a crispy golden-brown crust

I had a look around online for cottage pie recipes and the ones that stood out most were Laura Vitale's from Laura In The Kitchen on YouTube and Curtis Stone's root vegetable cottage pie for Coles (recipes clickable through italicised text). Not many in my family are fans of celery so I decided to omit it and replace with extra carrots, which I think turned out great! This is the type of recipe that you can add extra vegetables to or omit the ones you like freely.
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Cottage Pie (Potato Topped Pie)

(serves 12)

Ingredients

(filling):

          1.5kg beef mince
          2 large onions, diced
          6 carrots, diced
          4 cloves garlic, minced
          4 tbsp. plain flour
          1 x 140g can tomato paste

          2 beef stock cubes
          2 cups water
          3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
          2 tsp. rosemary, finely minced
          1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
          Salt and pepper, to season

(potato top):

          2kg potatoes
          1 cup milk
          1 cup cream

          90g butter
          Salt (to season)

Method:

1. (For filling) In a heavy-based pan on high heat, cook the mince (without oil, as it will cook in its own fat). Season the beef with salt as it cooks and break up the larger chunks using a wooden spoon. Transfer the beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon
2. In the same pan, use the liquid from cooking the beef to fry off onions and carrots until tender and lightly brown. Season with salt and pepper
3. Add garlic, stir through and cook lightly until fragrant
4. Add beef back into the pan and stir ingredients together
5. Sprinkle in flour and stir continuously to cook and prevent lumps from forming
6. Add the tomato paste until colour deepens slightly
7. Crumble in stock cube, then pour in water, Worcestershire sauce and rosemary stir ingredients together and allow to come to the boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes
8. Add peas and stir through, allow to cook enough for ingredients to come to the same temperature
9. Divide filling into individual dishes or into casserole dish and set aside
10. Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius
11. (For potato top) Boil potatoes in salted water, drain then mash and set aside
12. Warm milk, cream and butter in a saucepan and pour into potatoes and combine to create a slightly wet mash (this prevents a dry potato top, the some of the liquid will evaporate in the oven)
13. Season mash with salt
14. Spread over the top of filling, creating peaks with the back of a spoon (the more surface area created, the more texture and crunch achieved with the potato top in the oven)
15. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown
16. Serve with fresh salad or steamed green beans

****Tips: 

- Try not to over-mix your mash, as this can make it gluey
- You can add or omit any vegetables you like
- For a curry pie, add curry powder when cooking the mince

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This recipe was a hit with everyone and is such an easy way to feed a lot of people with one dish! Leftovers are also great the next day!

I'd love to see your versions of my recipes if you try them! Feel free to send them through to my email address; on Instagram with the tag (@unadornedeats) and/or hash-tag (#unadornedeats); or attach them to a comment below!

Love and luck in your cooking!

- Unadorned Eats

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References:

- http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/shepards-pie/
- http://recipes.coles.com.au/recipes/3008/root-vegetable-cottage-pie/