I have always used the names Shepard's pie and Cottage pie interchangeably, but there is a difference! Cottage pie is made with ground beef whereas Shepard's pie is made with lamb. In tag teaming this recipe with my mom, we decided to go with Cottage pie and it was delicious. It fed our whole family and some! I got the recipe from the food blog Tastes Better from Scratch and it did not disappoint :)
ingredients ~
for the filling:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb ground sausage
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white flour
2 1/2 cups beef broth
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 cube beef bouillon
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme)
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, hopped (or 1/4 tsp. dried rosemary)
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
for the mashed potatoes:
2 1/2 pounds potatoes, Yukon gold or russet potatoes
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk
4 Tbsp. butter
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
recipe ~
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Make mashed potatoes: Add potatoes to a saucepan with 3 inches of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender, about 12-15 minutes.
3. Drain the water and leave the potatoes in the pot. Cover with the lid and allow to steam for a few minutes.
4. Mash the potatoes lightly with a potato masher (avoid over-mixing the potatoes). Add butter, sour cream, milk, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper and stir until smooth. Set aside.
5. Make the meat filling: In a large, oven safe 12 inch skillet with sides, add the ground beef and ground sausage (or ground lamb to make shepherd's pie). Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cook over medium heat until browned, breaking the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Drain some of the grease (reserving some in the pan) and remove meat to a plate.
7. Add the onion, celery and carrots to the pan and sauté for about 5-8 minutes, until tender. Add garlic and flour and toss to combine. Cook 1 minute.
8. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and bay leaves and stir to combine.
9. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and add extra seasonings, if needed. Remove bay leaves and stir in frozen peas, corn and cooked meat.
10. Assemble the pie: Spoon the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture to completely cover the top. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
11. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving, to allow the gravy sauce in the meat mixture to cool and thicken.
Comments