Cottage Pie

[slowmotion]

Steady slo-mo... I'm sure Hendersons won't go global for a few years yet!

A few years ago, we were invited to a friend's place in Barbados. We went to a local reserve/sanctuary (?) for trees. The guide told us that we were looking at extremely rare specimens of the ones that were used for ingredients in Lee and Perrins.

Herbal cannabis is widely available on the island so we didn't take this too seriously.

 

[raleighnut]

Keefs top tip is to add finely chopped raw onion to the sauce mix after cooking just before you top it with the Mash.

As for flavourings I go for both OXO and 'Lee & Perrins' and a good grind of Black Pepper but also a squirt of Tomato Puree and a glug of Red Wine/Sherry but I don't put Garlic in mine.(strange as I put Garlic into a lot of things but it doesn't seem to go well with a Cottage Pie)

 

[MichaelW2]

I make a beef ragu for spag bol and use that for "villetta pie".

 

[gbb]

Peas and an oxo cube.

Peas i dont mind...but not for me in this one.

 

[MontyVeda]

I always thought Cottage Pie was one of those simple homely dishes.... what with all the highbrow extras?

 

[alicat]

I always thought Cottage Pie was one of those simple homely dishes.... what with all the highbrow extras?

Yes, me too. Mince and onions and maybe a carrot if there is one knocking around is all I put in.

 

[fossyant]

Mushroom? Cheese? Basic recipe?!

Very basic.

Ours, mince, grated carrots, tin of tomatoes, peas, onion, mushrooms, bisto best, worcester sauce and cheesy mash on top if we can (daughter hates cheese).

 

[fossyant]

Yeah, just mince and onion, whats all that other stuff?

Just no.

We've always added loads of veg. We used to do it for FIL and MIL when making some meals for them - FIL wouldn't eat veg other than peas, little did he know !

 

[MontyVeda]

Very basic.

Ours, mince, grated carrots, tin of tomatoes, peas, onion, mushrooms, bisto best, worcester sauce and cheesy mash on top if we can (daughter hates cheese).

they must have redefined 'basic' since i last checked

 

[Pale Rider]

The key for me is the mince.

Shop bought mince is universally poor, so I use cold cuts from a roast joint minced at home with my venerable old metal hand mincer.

The flavour and texture is way ahead of anything you can buy in a plastic tray.

As the meat is already cooked, all the assembled pie needs is reheating for about 25 mins until the mash starts to brown.

 

[numbnuts]

Sometime I use chicken instead of mince beef

 

[Poacher]

Base

• 125g mince
• 70g peas
• 70g onion
• 70g cannellini beans
• 70g carrots
• 70g mushrooms
• 140cc stock from veg
• 5g oil
• 5g Bovril
• 7g flour
• 15g tomato puree
• 5cc Worcester sauce
• 1.5cc rosemary
• 0.3cc black pepper

Top

• 100g potato
• 100g parsnip
• 90g cannellini beans
• ¾ egg
• 0.6cc salt

Sounds good, but what do you do with the other1/4 egg?

 

[presta]

Sounds good, but what do you do with the other1/4 egg?

It's already been used to bind beefburgers the day before.

 

[markemark]

Cottage/Shephard's pie, same principal as spag bol - chuck all sorts of stuff in it that is laying around and no two are ever the same.

 

[Alex321]

Very simple.

Minced beef, chopped onions, diced carrot, sometimes peas, some beef stock or gravy, and topped with plain mashed potato.

The minced beef can be either purchased as raw mince, or can be leftovers from a Sunday roast, minced using the attachment on the Kenwood Chef (which is when we will use the gravy rather than beef stock).