
Cottage Pie
Britain's most comforting baked dish — a rich, deeply savoury minced beef and vegetable filling in a Worcestershire and red wine gravy, topped with a fluffy, golden mashed potato crust baked until the top is crispy.
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min
Ingredients
Method
Cook potatoes in salted water until very soft. Drain and mash with butter and warm milk until completely smooth and fluffy. Season generously with salt and white pepper.
About 5 min
Brown beef in a large pan over high heat, breaking up lumps. Remove beef; drain excess fat leaving 1 tbsp. Sauté onion, carrot and celery for 8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme; cook 1 minute.
About 11 min
Return beef. Sprinkle over flour; stir 2 minutes. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and red wine; stir to combine. Add stock; bring to a simmer.
About 11 min
Cook uncovered for 20 minutes until the filling is thick and the gravy coats the back of a spoon. Stir in frozen peas. Taste and adjust seasoning. The filling must be very thick — watery filling makes a soggy pie.
About 11 min
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Spread filling in a large baking dish (about 30×22 cm). Spoon mash over the top and spread evenly using a spatula. Use a fork to rough up the surface into ridges — these will brown crisply.
About 11 min
Scatter grated cheddar over the top. Bake 25–30 minutes until the potato topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling at the edges. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
About 3 min
Nutrition per serving (estimate)
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 720 mg
Contains: gluten, dairy
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All British recipesRecipe by Boon Tools.





