I was just working on my post about freezer cooking when I realized I have never shared my Cottage Pie recipe before. Maybe because it’s not the most photogenic of dishes, but it’s a crowd pleaser, very simple to put together, and perfect for chasing away those winter blues at the end of a hard day. It’s a complete dish, and perfect for sneaking in those hidden veges., just add something green like peas or broccoli on the side and you are done. Doesn’t get much easier than that. And it freezes perfectly, so it’s a good idea to make double and stash one away for a rainy day.
The original recipe calls for scone-like balls of dough on top, but my kids prefer creamy mashed potato, and I usually mash in some sweet potato as well. It looks like a shepherd’s pie, and they are very similar, but this filling is tomatoey (tomato-E!, new word!) which gives it that little extra something.
Cottage Pie
Ingredients:
Filling –
2 tsp. Olive Oil
500g Minced Beef
1 Medium Carrot, diced (3/4 cup)
1 Medium Onion, diced (1 Cup)
1 Tbs. Water
1 Cup Zucchini (grated)
pinch Pepper
1 1/2 Tbs. Tomato Paste, salt reduced
2 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
2 1/2 tsp. Beef Stock Powder, salt reduced
2 Tbs. Plain Flour
3/4 Cup Water
Topping –
4 large Potatoes
1/2 large Sweet Potato
1/4 cup low fat milk
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
Directions:
Preheat oven to 180C.
Heat oil and saute carrot, onion and zucchini until soft.
Add mince and fry until browned.
Add pepper and tomato paste and cook for one minute.
In a bowl mix together flour and extra water until smooth.
Add worcestershire sauce, beef stock powder and the flour and water mixture to the pan. Stir until mixture thickens.
Place meat mixture into the bottom of a casserole dish or baking pan and set aside to cool a little while you make the topping.
Peel potatoes and sweet potato and place in a large saucepan of boiling water. Boil until soft but not mushy.
Drain and mash potato/sweet potatoes, adding milk and a little butter if that’s how you like it.
Spread mash over meat mixture and top with mozzarella cheese.
Place in oven and bake until cheese melts and begins to bubble and turn golden.
Source: I think I found it on the side of a packet of Plain Flour back in the 1990’s