Chef Quality Cottage Pie Recipe

Cottage pie is a great comfort meal. It is a perfect dish for really nailing down some good flavor building since it has many layers. All components need to stand on their own. The mashed potato, the meat gravy, the vegetables…must all have great flavor and to complement each other leading to a great final dish.

For my recipe, I start off with making the mashed potatoes. My go to is to roast the potatoes to soften them. This will bring out the flavor much more than boiling the potatoes ever will. In fact, boiling the potatoes dulls their flavor. Potato selection is also important. I go with mini gold potatoes. They have a delicate, smooth texture with some slightly sweetness all the while having great earthy tones.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef 80/20 blend

6 whole carrots (peeled and cut into medium dice)

14-16 baby gold potatoes, skins washed

2 ears of corn, kernels removed

1 glass red wine, optional

2-1/2 c beef stock, chicken stock or a blend of the two

1/4 c roux (about 3 tbsp butter, 3 tbsp flour)

1 shallot, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz shredded cheese (I like a blend of cheddar, mozzarella and jack)

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

3/4 c heavy cream

1-2 tbsp kosher salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

2 tbsp oil (avocado, olive oil, tallow)

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped

Tools needed:

Large saute pan

Sharp knife

Cutting board

Food mill or potato masher

Large mixing bowl

Measuring cups and spoons

Baking dish

Small stock pot

Sheet pan

Parchment paper

Rubber spatula

Large serving spoon

How to make it:

First off, I tend to use a good amount of butter when I cook.  I cut the sticks of butter into small knobs that equal about a half tbsp each that I keep stored in the refrigerator ready to use at will.  I will be referring to adding butter as a knob of butter and not an actual measurement.

I love the flavor of the potatoes when they get roasted in the oven for making the mash compared to blanching them.  The potato flavor is more pronounced and the texture is better.   Before roasting, make sure to wash and dry the potatoes.   I run the potatoes once cooked through a food mill, therefore there is no need to peel them.  If you only have a potato masher, you can roast them, let them cool enough to handle and peel off the skins.

Now, let’s roast them.  To do this, place potatoes in a baking dish, drizzled with oil and seasoned with salt and pepper.  Toss to evenly coat and bake in the oven at 400 F for about 1 hour.  They are to be soft to the touch.  Once the potatoes come out of the oven, reduce the cooking temperature to 375 F.

I have a food mill that makes for a beautifully smooth mashed potato.  Cut the potatoes in half and run them through over a mixing bowl with the medium sized disk.

Once the potatoes are processed, add the heavy cream, garlic powder and 2 knobs of butter.   Season with a pinch of salt.  Stir to incorporate, taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  The potatoes are easier to spread on top of the ingredients during assembly when they are still warm and not too thick.  They need to be easily spreadable without being too loose or “soupy”.  Also, you don’t want the mashed potatoes too thick where they are difficult to spread. You want the potatoes to holds its shape without being too thick and stiff. Find that balance. With practice and making the dish a few times, you’ll get a good feel for consistency.

-If you’re using a potato masher, let the potatoes cool slightly and peel the skins by pinching and peeling the skins off the potato.   Mash the potatoes with 2 knobs butter and cream.  Once mashed, season with some salt and the garlic powder.   Taste and adjust seasoning and consistency as necessary.

Now, brown the ground beef over medium heat with a good pinch of salt and a glug of oil or tallow in a large sauce pan.  Cook for 5-7 minutes over medium heat breaking the beef up as it cooks.  Make sure to use a big enough sauté pan that will eventually fit all the ingredients in less the potatoes.  Cook off any moisture and cook the beef until it starts to crisp on certain parts.  This is great flavor and will add a great profile to the dish.   Once the beef is cooked, place it onto a plate.  Reduce cooking heat to medium low.

Add the carrots to the pan and season with salt.  Cook the carrots for 4-5 minutes stirring occasionally.  You want the carrots to start to brown slightly and get cooked about half way through.   

Make a well in the middle of the pan and toss in a knob of butter.  Add the garlic and shallots and give them a pinch of salt and chopped rosemary.   Adding salt now will help bring out the amazing sweet flavor they have.  Sweat for about 2 minutes until the shallot starts to turn translucent.  Add the wine if you’re using it and reduce to about 1/4 c.  As the wine reduces, scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan if present.

This recipe makes the roux in pan with the ingredients.   Make a well in the middle of the pan. Add the 3 tbsp butter and melt in.  Add the 3 tbsp butter and stir into the ingredients until evenly incorporated and no clumps are present.   Cook the rawness off the flour for 3 minutes stirring frequently.

Add the beef stock in thirds.  Stir the ingredients and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan.  Adding the stock in a third at a time is to keep the flour from clumping and shocking the temperature of the pan too much.  Once the stock is heated and simmering, add the other third and so on until you used all the stock.  Add the vinegar and soy sauce, bring the liquid to a simmer.  The trick to a good cottage pie is to have your gravy a perfect consistency.  Not too thick, and not too thin.  You want it to hold its shape without being too stiff or too thin where the gravy spills all over the plate at serving.   If the gravy is too thin, keep it on simmer to reduce until your desired thickness is achieved.   

To assemble the pie and get it finished in the oven, place the beef gravy mixture into a baking dish.   I have an oval casserole dish that is perfect for this.  However, a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish works great as well.  Using a rubber spatula, spread out the mash potato over the beef mixture until you covered the entire top.  Generously sprinkle cheese over the potatoes.  Place your baking dish onto a parchment lined sheet pan.  This is to catch any overspill.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

The cheese is to be melted and slightly browned on top.

Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  If you cut into it too soon, the gravy tends to loosen up during baking and will make for a messy plate presentation.

Enjoy

Logan