Cottage Recipes

COTTAGE POTATOES

Steps:

• Place the potatoes in a large saucepan or Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender; drain. In a bowl, combine the cheese, onion, green pepper, pimientos, bread, 2 tablespoons parsley and salt. , In a greased shallow 4-qt. baking dish, layer a third of the potatoes and a third of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice. Pour milk and butter over all; sprinkle with cornflake crumbs. , Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly and top is golden. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

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.

COTTAGE MEATLOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil.
• In a large bowl, combine ground beef, ketchup, tomato juice, salt, pepper, red pepper, eggs, bread crumbs, onion, and mustard for meatloaf until well mixed. Press meat mixture into the prepared pan.
• In a separate bowl, combine ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar for topping until smooth. Spread brown sugar mixture over meatloaf.
• Bake in preheated oven 35 to 45 minutes, until no longer pink. Drain off fat. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9 inch deep-dish pie plate.
• Place potatoes into a pot; cover with salted water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover; simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain; mash with 2 tablespoons of the butter and the garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef, herbes de Provence, and nutmeg; cook and stir until beef is lightly brown and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Spread the beef evenly in the prepared pie plate. Cover evenly with the peas; spread the mashed potatoes over the peas. Dot the casserole with the remaining butter.
• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until heated through and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

HOMEMADE COTTAGE CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat the milk to 190F.
• You will need a thermometer for other cheeses but you can get by here turning off the heat just before the milk begins to boil.
• Add the vinegar and allow the mixture to cool.
• When cool, pour the mixture, which now consists of curds and whey into a colander and drain off the whey.
• Pour the curds into a bowl and sprinkle on the salt and mix well.
• You may wish to use less salt or more, depending on your taste.
• A little cream could also be added, for a more silky variation.
• Now the best part, enjoy fresh or use in a cooked dish such as a lasagna!

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beef or meat alternative. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, breaking up the beef or meat alternative, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the lentils and sprinkle with the flour; stir to combine.
• Whisk together the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk in the mushroom or beef broth and add to the pan, scraping any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, season with more salt and pepper if needed, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the topping.
• For the topping: Cover the potatoes and garlic with a few inches of cold water into a large pot. Season well with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, roughly mash the veg. Add the milk, butter and cream cheese and mash until the desired texture is reached. Season with more salt.
• Stir the frozen veg into the filling and remove from the heat. Top with the mash, spreading it into an even layer and scatter with the grated Cheddar. Transfer the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet just in case there is any bubble over and bake for until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Allow the pie to cool slightly before serving.

COTTAGE ROLL /COTTAGE HAM

Steps:

• Place cottage roll in roasting pan or crockpot.
• Surround it with potatoes, carrots, onion and cabbage if you like.
• You can add as many as will fit or what you need for supper or use any size cottage roll that will fit.
• Sprinkle with pepper and cover roast 3/4 with water.
• cover and Bake at 300 degrees for 3 hours or in crockpot on high 6 hours or low 8-10 hours.
• Cottage roll should fall apart like a pot roast.
• Serve with mustard (dijon is my favorite).
• The leftover stock can be spiced up as a gravy or makes a great bean or pea soup base.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan and add the onion, celery and carrot, stirring them over a brisk heat but not allowing them to brown.
• After 5 minutes or so add the garlic, reduce the heat and soften everything together.
• Increase the heat again and add the ground beef, stirring until browned.
• Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, wine and stock, season and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Boil the potatoes until soft and mash them with the milk until smooth and creamy.
• Spoon the meat mixture into a gratin dish and cover with a thick, even layer of mashed potato.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 45-55 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with seasonal vegetables.