Cottage Pie

Cottage Pie

from spendwithpennies.com
80 min
6 servings

Everyone’s favorite comfort foods are cooked into this hearty cottage pie!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 onion (diced)
  • 2 carrots (½ inch diced)
  • 2 ribs celery (½ inch diced)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1 ½ cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • ⅔ cup peas
  • ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper each
  • 2 pounds russet potatoes (or Yukon gold potatoes)
  • 3 tablespoons melted butter
  • ⅓ cup warm milk
  • 1 cup sharp cheddar (shredded, optional)

Directions

  1. 1

    Preheat oven to 400°F.

  2. 2

    Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large pot of cold salted water.

  3. 3

    Bring the potatoes to a gentle boil and cook 13-16 minutes or until fork tender.

  4. 4

    While potatoes are cooking, combine ground beef and onion in a large skillet, brown until no pink remains.

  5. 5

    Add carrots, celery, and garlic to the ground beef mixture. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until slightly tender.

  6. 6

    Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf.

  7. 7

    Simmer for 20 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Remove bay leaf, add peas, and season with salt and pepper.

  8. 8

    Drain the potatoes well and mash until smooth. Stir in the butter. Add warmed milk a little bit at a time until the potatoes are smooth and fluffy, you may not need all of the milk. Stir the cheese into the potatoes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

  9. 9

    Top the meat mixture with the potatoes and place in the oven. Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.