By Marie Muccio
A rich and saucy base of beef and veggies topped with creamy mashed potato and pumpkin. And don’t forget the crispy cheese crust. Cottage pie is comfort food at its best.
Cottage Pie has a special place in my heart. It was the very first dish I made on the first day of food tech in year 7. Ah, the good ol’ days!
I’ve always loved cooking ever since I can remember. I loved watching both my grandmothers in the kitchen working their magic. In food tech class I knew cooking was something I was really passionate about. It’s where we got to be creative and work with others to recreate recipes from scratch.
To this day cottage pie is something I still make on a regular basis and it’s become a family favourite. It’s a dish that my kids love and so I take full advantage of that and ensure I load it with lots of veggies. It’s the only way I can get my daughter to eat the otherwise dreaded zucchini. I love the three layers: the beef and vegetable base, flavoured with stock and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. The creamy mashed potato and pumpkin topping and then finally the cheese that melts and bubbles in the oven to create a crust over the top.
A bowl of cottage pie always gives me a warm and cosy feeling and it’s simple everyday ingredients mean it’s budget friendly and you can make it year round.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 kg beef mince or lamb
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup beef stock
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Topping
- 1.5 kg potatoes peeled and quartered
- 3 cups pumpkin; peeled and chopped
- 1/3 cup milk
- 50 g butter
- Large handful parmesan cheese grated
Method
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic, cook for a minute. Then add carrot, celery and bay leaf. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Turn the heat up to high. Add beef and cook, breaking up the clumps with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned.
- Add tomato paste, beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, oregano and season well with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Meanwhile, to make the topping; place potatoes and pumpkin in a large pot and cover with enough cold water so that the veggies are completely submerged.
- Bring to the boil on high heat then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10–12 minutes. You will know they are ready when a knife can be easily inserted with no resistance.
- Drain the veggies well and return to the pot. Add the milk and butter and mash until there are no lumps.
- Remove the meat mixture from the heat and spoon over the mash.
- Ruffle with a fork to create some indents and then sprinkle over the parmesan cheese.
- Transfer to the oven and cook for 30 minutes until the top is golden and the meat mixture is bubbling.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
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