Simple Cottage Pie

Wholesome comfort bubbling over in a cast iron skillet- ground beef is simmered with chopped vegetables, spices, and topped a crust of creamy mashed potatoes before being put into the oven.

Meet cottage pie, shepherd’s pie’s cousin. Traditionally shepherd’s pie is made from lamb, while cottage pie is made from beef.

Dishes like this make me glad that I am 1/8 Irish and make me wish that I was a wee bit more so. Alas, I’ll take what I can get and be glad that my great-great-grandparents were born and raised on the beautiful island. Ireland is on the top of my places to visit someday but I regress back to the recipe…

Topping the pie with butter is a must, well not really but your taste buds will like the extra bit of healthy fat, plus, it looks pretty as it melts. Who is going to say no to pretty? At least as far as a casserole of sorts goes.

Not a casserole fan? Me either, but that is because like many of us, at least those with Mid-West roots remember a childhood filled with pans of noodles, canned cream of soup, meat, and some type of cheese. <—- Not the perfect dish. This simple cottage pie will convince you that some casseroles can be quite delicious.

Cottage pie is bursting with umami that will delight your taste buds. It is full of ingredients that have naturally occurring glutamate. Tomatoes, garlic, onions, soy sauce, and broth each on their own have a savory flavor,  when you put them together, oh be still my heart! My roommate and I polished off almost 1/2 a skillet of this a couple months ago.

Now I exercise some self-restraint. Plus that means I have leftovers. If you are making this for four or more of you, there might not be any leftovers. I have yet to double it, but I am sure you could by using to skillets or simply by using a larger one.

This version cottage pie was inspired by Darina Allen’s, Forgotten Skills of Cooking. I picked the book up about 6 years ago, and while I don’t cook from it frequently, I love to read through Darina’s stories and glean bits of culinary wisdom. She has been dubbed “The Julia Child of Ireland”. Darina is a traditional foodie at heart with a love for raw dairy, vegetables straight from the garden, farm fresh meat, and foraging.

In her book, Darina suggests using mushroom ketchup, which can be used similarly to soy sauce. I don’t know about you but, I’m fresh out of mushroom ketchup. Forgotten Skills of Cooking has a recipe for it that calls for cloves, nutmeg, and ginger. For this simple cottage pie, I opted to use soy sauce and those three spices in an attempt to mimic the flavor.

This simple cottage pie is the perfect, clean out your refrigerator meal. I prefer to use carrots and peas, but you can choose other vegetables instead. Many recipes call for tomato paste, yet I forget to keep it in stock. Tomato sauce, on the other hand, I almost always have in my fridge or pantry, so I use that instead. You can top this dish with leftover mashed potatoes, or make them fresh.

Cottage Pie is a perfect dish on its own, or you can serve it with a green salad and soda bread, which my favourite way to serve it.

Tools for this recipe:

• Cast Iron Skillet
• Potato Masher
• Dutch Oven

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Simple Cottage Pie

Author Katie Mae @ Nourishing Simplicity

Yield 4-6 Servings

Wholesome comfort bubbling over in a cast iron skillet- ground beef is simmered with chopped vegetables, spices, and topped a crust of creamy mashed potatoes before being put into the oven.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons bacon grease (or fat of choice)
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon unrefined salt
• 4 large carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch ground ginger 
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 2 cups peas, fresh or frozen 
• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch (arrowroot or corn work as well)
• 1 cup broth
• 2- lbs russet potatoes, chopped (skins left on is fine) 
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2-3/4 cup whole milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. I an medium stock pot (or Dutch oven), bring the potatoes to a boil. Allow them to cook while you start on the rest of the dish.
2. In a medium-sized cast iron skillet or a heavy sauce pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, cooking for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the carrots, sauteing for an additional 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about one more minutes.
4. Add the ground beef, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, parsley, soy, sauce, and tomato sauce. Stir well to mix in all the spices. Turn the heat up to medium, cook the meat until browned. Add the peas.
5. Reduce heat and sprinkle the meat mixture with the starch of choice. Gradually add the broth, stirring gently to avoid lumps. Bring to a low boil for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.
6. Cook the potatoes until fork tender. Drain the potatoes. Add the butter, 1/2 cup milk, salt and pepper to taste.
7. Mash with potato masher or electric beater until smooth and creamy. Add more milk if necessary.
8. Transfer the meat mixture to a baking dish, if using. If using a cast iron skillet proceed to the next step. Top the meat mixture with an even layer of mashed potatoes. Prick with a fork and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Put the skillet or baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any spills.
9. While the cottage pie is baking, wash the stock pot and potatoes masher for easy clean up once the meal is eaten! 
10. Top with fresh parsley and a pat of butter if desired. 

Courses Main Dish

Cuisine Irish

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