Bbc Cottage Pie Recipes

NEXT LEVEL COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Crumble in the mince and stir to coat the meat in the hot oil. Cook the mince for 15 mins until you are left with browned, toasted mince and the fat from the meat. Stir the vegetables in with the mince and cook for 10 mins until they start to turn brown. Sprinkle over the flour and cook for a further 2 mins. Stir in the herbs, ketchup and tomato purée, and splash in the Worcestershire sauce. Pour in the ale, bubble for a minute, then gradually stir in the stock. Leave everything to simmer gently for 1 hr until you have a tender mince in a rich gravy.
• Use a slotted spoon to lift the mince and vegetables into a large baking dish, leaving the residual gravy in the pan. Drain the gravy through a sieve into another saucepan, then tip what remains in the sieve back into the baking dish. Leave the mince to cool, then put in the fridge (or, better still, the freezer if you have room) for at least 1 hr until the fat from the mince solidifies. This part can be made up to two days ahead.
• While the meat sauce is cooling, make the cheesy potato topping. Tip the potatoes, whole and in their skins, into a large pan of salted water. Bring the pan to the boil and simmer for 15 mins until the potatoes are cooked all the way through. Drain off the water and leave until the potatoes are just cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, boil the milk, butter and mustard powder together in a large saucepan. Peel the cooked potatoes by rubbing their skins off with a tea towel. Mash or pass the potatoes through a ricer into the hot milk and butter, stir through the cheese and season with salt and pepper.
• When the meat sauce has set, top with the mash. Start from the outside and use a spatula to scrape the mash against the side of the dish, then spread it over the middle of the dish. Using a fork, make lines across the topping. Can be frozen for up to 6 months.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put the pie on a large baking tray to catch any drips and bake for 30-35 mins until golden. Leave it to rest for at least 10 mins while you heat up the extra gravy. Serve the pie at the table with green vegetables and the jug of extra gravy for pouring over.

COTTAGE PIE CAKES

Steps:

• Heat a large frying pan until hot. Dry-fry the mince until browned, breaking it up with a fork. Crumble in the stock cube and 1 tbsp of the flour, and mix well. Add the Worcestershire sauce and peas, and mix well to combine.
• Tip the mince mixture into a bowl and cool a little, before stirring in the mash and shaping into 6 cakes. Dust the cakes in the remaining flour, then dip them into the egg, then the crumbs. Chill for at least 10 mins, longer if you have time.
• Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the cakes for 3-4 mins each side, until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. Season with a little salt and serve with baked beans.

30 MINUTE SHEPHERD'S PIE

Steps:

• Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth.
• While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt and pepper. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook veggies with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In a second small skillet over medium heat cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Thicken gravy 1 minute. Add gravy to meat and vegetables. Stir in peas.
• Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small flameproof rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned. Top casserole dish with chopped parsley and serve.

PROPER ENGLISH COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• To Make Meat Filling: Place a large skillet over medium heat. Crumble in ground beef and saute 1 minute. Add onion and carrot, then continue to saute until meat is no longer pink and onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Mix in flour, cinnamon, mixed herbs, and parsley.
• In a small bowl, combine beef broth and tomato paste. Mix together, then add to beef mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and simmer mixture for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until almost all of liquid has been absorbed. Spoon mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
• To Make Potato Topping: Place diced potatoes in a medium saucepan. Cover with water and place over high heat. Allow to come to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain.
• Mash potatoes until smooth, then add butter or margarine, followed by milk. Whip until fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread potatoes over beef filling. Sprinkle with grated Cheddar cheese.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, until top is browned and cheese is bubbly.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Firstly, place the potatoes in boiling salted water and cook till tender. When done, mash well and add some butter or margarine to your own taste and check for seasoning. Meanwhile, fry the onions off in a little oil until translucent and starting to soften. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Add the beef and fry until cooked through. Add the tomato puree and stir well into the beef, then add the flour and mix well. It will look like it is starting to catch on the bottom of the pan, but dont worry, you want that. When you get to this point, dont worry about it sticking as the stock will lift this off and it will all add to the flavour. Add the stock a little at a time. How much you add will depend on how thick you want it. I dont like mine too runny so I dont add all the stock. The flour will thicken the sauce and set ity so that you can leave it for 30 mins or so if you want to make it easier to put the mash on top without it sinking into the middle. When you have added the stock and have the consistency you want add the thyme and worcestershire and season. Cook for 5 mins or so then set aside to set, if desired, in an ovenproof casserole. When adding the mash, add to the sides first, then the middle. Smooth over the top and add enough grated cheese to cover. Place in a moderate preheated oven for 15 mins or so until the top is golden and bubbling. Serve with steamed vegetables of your choise.
• Tip
• Make the pie filling first and give it time to set. This will stop the potato falling into the meat.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to fan 180c, 160c, gas mark 6. In a saucepan, gently fry the onion and carrot until soft. Turn up the heat a notch and quickly brown off the mince.
• Add the tomato puree, stock cube, Worcestshire sauce, mixed herbs and 1/2 pint of freshly boiled water from the kettle. Gently simmer for half an hour.
• Meanwhile, peel and quarter the potatoes. Boil for about 20 minutes until soft. Drain well and mash with plenty of butter, warmed milk and salt and pepper.
• Pile the filling into an ovenproof dish and top with the mashed potato. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden on top.

LENTIL & SWEET POTATO COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Tip the onions, carrots, celery and olive oil into a large saucepan. Cook over a medium heat for 8-10 mins until softened, add the garlic and fry for another minute. Pour in the wine to deglaze the pan (scraping up any bits stuck on the bottom), and simmer for 2 mins until most of the wine has evaporated.
• Add the thyme, tomato purée, soy sauce, caster sugar and vinegar to the pan and stir to combine. Tip in the lentils, tomatoes and 100ml water and simmer for 10-12 mins until reduced and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Meanwhile, make the mash topping. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the sweet potatoes and simmer for 10-15 mins until cooked all the way through. Drain, then add the dairy-free margarine, mustard powder and milk, and mash until smooth along with plenty of salt and pepper.
• Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Season the filling and pour it into a 25 x 20 x 7cm casserole dish. Top with the mash, starting with spoonfuls on the outside corners and working your way inwards so the filling doesn't spill out. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top and bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Once baked and left to cool, the pie will keep frozen for up to three months. Defrost thoroughly overnight, then reheat in the oven until piping hot.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and fry 1¼ kg beef mince until browned - you may need to do this in batches. Set aside as it browns.
• Put the other 2 tbsp olive oil into the pan, add 2 finely chopped onions, 3 chopped carrots and 3 chopped celery sticks and cook on a gentle heat until soft, about 20 mins.
• Add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 tbsp plain flour and 1 tbsp tomato purée, increase the heat and cook for a few mins, then return the beef to the pan.
• Pour over a large glass of red wine, if using, and boil to reduce it slightly before adding the 850ml beef stock, 4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, a few thyme sprigs and 2 bay leaves.
• Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 mins. By this time the gravy should be thick and coating the meat. Check after about 30 mins - if a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat slightly to reduce the gravy a little. Season well, then discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.
• Meanwhile, make the mash. In a large saucepan, cover the 1.8kg potatoes which you've peeled and chopped, in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender.
• Drain well, then allow to steam-dry for a few mins. Mash well with the 225ml milk, 25g butter, and three-quarters of the 200g strong cheddar cheese, then season with freshly grated nutmeg and some salt and pepper.
• Spoon the meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.
• If eating straight away, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins, or until the topping is golden.
• If you want to use a slow cooker, brown your mince in batches then tip into your slow cooker and stir in the vegetables, flour, purée, wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs with some seasoning. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours. Make the mash following the previous steps, and then oven cook in the same way to finish.