Cottage pie is a near twin to its sibling, the slightly better-known shepherd’s pie. The main difference between these traditional dishes, which have roots in Ireland and Britain, is that cottage pie embraces ground beef while shepherd\u2019s pie, fittingly, favors lamb. Smothered in a delicious and thick gravy along with carrots, onions, celery and peas, the ground beef filling is covered in creamy mashed potatoes and then baked into a hearty and satisfying meal. Known for being freezer friendly, easy to make and economical, this recipe stretches its simple ingredients to feed many mouths. For variation, try using chicken or turkey and other vegetables in the base and swapping in sweet potatoes for the topping. For the topping:<\/strong><\/p>\n Heat the oven to 350\u00b0F.<\/p>\n Prepare the filling: <\/strong>Heat an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef<\/strong> and a large pinch of salt<\/strong> and cook, breaking up the meat<\/strong> as you go, until slightly pink and just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ground beef<\/strong> to a bowl and set aside. Leave about a tsp of fat<\/strong> in the pan and discard the rest.<\/p>\n To the same skillet, add butter, onion, celery<\/strong> and carrot<\/strong> and a pinch of salt.<\/strong> Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion<\/strong> is translucent, and the carrot<\/strong> is just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic<\/strong> and tomato paste,<\/strong> stirring to coat, about 1 minute. Add \u00bc cup flour<\/strong> and stir to incorporate.<\/p>\n Add 2 cups\u00a0beef<\/strong> broth, \u00bd <\/strong>cup red wine, peas,<\/strong> 2 TBS Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, bay leaves<\/strong> and 1 tsp each salt<\/strong> and pepper.<\/strong> Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the consistency of thick gravy,<\/strong> 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and add extra seasoning,<\/strong> if needed. Remove the bay leaves<\/strong> and thyme sprigs<\/strong> and stir in the ground beef.<\/strong> Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.<\/p>\n Make the topping: <\/strong>To a large saucepan, add potatoes<\/strong> and water<\/strong> to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and cook until knife-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes<\/strong> and put back into the saucepan. Add \u00bd cup milk,<\/strong> 4 TBS butter<\/strong> and \u00bd cup grated Parmesan.<\/strong> Mash with a potato masher until just creamy,<\/strong> avoiding over-mashing. Taste and adjust seasoning<\/strong> if needed.<\/p>\n Dollop the mashed potatoes<\/strong> on top of the beef mixture<\/strong> in the skillet, carefully smoothing the mashed potatoes<\/strong> until it fully covers the beef mixture<\/strong> and reaches the edge of the pan. Drizzle the remaining 1 TBS of butter<\/strong> over the top, sprinkle with remaining \u00bc cup grated Parmesan<\/strong> and bake in the oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.<\/p>\n Tips:<\/strong><\/p>\n If you do not have an oven-proof skillet, you can transfer beef mixture<\/strong> to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish for assembly and baking.<\/p>\n Cottage pie<\/strong> can be fully assembled and refrigerated (up to 2 days) or frozen (up to 3 months) in advance, then baked. If frozen, allow to defrost fully before baking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yield: 6 to 8 Adapted from: NY Times Cottage pie is a near twin to its sibling, the slightly better-known shepherd’s pie. The main difference between these traditional dishes, which have roots in Ireland and Britain, is that cottage pie embraces ground beef while shepherd\u2019s pie, fittingly, favors lamb. Smothered in a delicious and thick gravy along with carrots, onions, celery and peas, the ground beef filling is covered in creamy mashed potatoes and then baked into a hearty and…<\/p>\n
\nPrep: 20 Cook: 2 hrs
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\nFor the filling:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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