My Mother used to make this in the same way, as did my Nan. It's very simple and basic - no fancy unusual ingredients.
Fast n Easy !
Good old fashioned home comfort cooking at its best !
What's the difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd's Pie ?
The only difference between cottage pie and shepherd's pie is that cottage pie is made with minced beef and shepherd's pie is made with minced lamb. Everything else is the same. I'm sure there are many variations - but this is how I make it.
Cottage Pie - Shepherd's Pie
This recipe is for the beef version (Cottage Pie) - if you are making Shepherd's Pie, just substitute minced lamb for the beef.
1.5 lbs (700g) Minced Beef/Lamb
1/2 medium Onion (chopped well)
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
2 tablespoons Bisto Instant Chicken Gravy Mix (the chicken version tastes 100 times better in any recipe than the beef version and you can't taste that it's chicken !)
1.5 tablespoons Lee & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
Water (small amount)
6 medium sized Potatoes
2 ozs Butter
2 tablespoons Milk
Freshly ground black Pepper
Sea Salt
1. Lightly cook the chopped onion in a saucepan in the olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add the minced beef or lamb and mix it in well - breaking up the mince so that there are no clumps.
3. Cook the meat and onion until it is all brown. Keep the lid on the saucepan as much as possible in between stirring, in order to keep as much liquid as possible (rather than loose it via steam).
5. Add the gravy mix granules and stir in well.
6. Immediately add the worcestershire sauce and a small amount of water. The amount of water added should be just enough to make a moist mix, but not one with runny sauce. Mix it in well while still cooking on the stove top.
7. Spoon the meat mixture into an ovenproof dish.
8. Peel and chop the potatoes into small chunks as below. Cook for about 20 minutes until they are soft.
9. Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the saucepan (its still warm and will keep the mix warm and soft).
10. Add the butter and milk to the potatoes and mash very very well.
11. Add a nice bit of freshly ground black pepper and some ground sea salt, then mash and mix this in well too.
12. Spoon the mash potato onto the top on the meat mix in the dish. If you spoon it in small amounts you can cover the area without having to 'spread' it too much. Spreading it often stirs up the meat underneath and makes a mess.
13. Flatten the top with the back of a fork.
14. Place in the oven at 160C (325F & gas mark 3). Cook until the top is golden all over and the ridges are slightly brown and crispy looking. (Takes about 30-40 mins usually).
15. Serve with something like mashed swede (as below) then eat !
The instructions for making the mashed swede / turnip (called turnip in Ireland - swede in UK) are in the next post (Click Here)
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