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I never knew I was making Irish Cottage Pie
Topic Started: Mar 15 2016, 10:14 AM (213 Views)
Darcie
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Skeptic
I thought I was making Shepherd's Pie but apparently that is made with lamb. I have been making mine with beef

Ingredients

Potato Topping-

2 pounds russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

¼ cup half and half

4 tablespoons butter, softened

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

Meat Filling-

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped in small pieces

Kosher salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon thyme

2 pounds ground lean beef

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

Boil the potatoes for 12-15 minutes on high heat until the potatoes fork tender.

Prepare the filling while the potatoes are boiling.

Drain the potatoes and add them to a medium bowl.

Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes and add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper until smooth. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. While the potatoes are boiling, prepare the filling by heating a large sauté pan with vegetable oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and cook them for 4 minutes until soft. Add the carrots, garlic, and thyme. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper according to your personal preference.

Transfer the onion and carrot mixture to a separate bowl and return the pan to the stove. Cook the lean beef until done and season with salt and pepper. Add and mix in the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.

Add the (room temperature) beef broth to a small bowl and gently stir in the corn starch until dissolved.

Add the onion mixture and broth back to the pan with the beef and add the peas. Stir everything until well combined and cook for 5 minutes on medium low heat until the sauce thickens..

Spray a medium casserole pan with non-stick spray. Transfer the beef mixture to the pan in one large even layer. Top the beef layer with an even layer of the mashed potatoes.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the potato layer slightly browns.

Allow the pie to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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Trotsky
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Big City Boy
Sound mouthwatering to eat...but a bit complicated to make. I shy away from recipes that require cooking ingredients before assembling and baking. I want to stuff raw food into the oven (or crock-pot) and have it cook one step.

But I LOVE shepherd's/cottage pie. Seems nobody can afford lamb anymore. I sometimes buy frozen at Trader Joe's...very good. But there is none in my neighborhood and my freezer is too small to buy many ahead.

Maybe next time I make mashed potatoes, I'll make enough to have leftovers for a baked pie.
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blizzard
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I was always told that Shepherd's Pie is to be made from leftovers, which explains the reason for lamb. Too bad I had not thought of making some for pie day.
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Olive Oil
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My recipe is very similar to yours Darcie but I notice you add thyme. I will do that the next time I make it.
Occasionally I will use a layer of sweet potato.
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angora
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WWS Book Club Coordinator
My grandmother and mother always made shepherds pie from left overs from the Sunday roast. I used to love it because they used the left over gravy too. As I grew older I found that I cannot digest twice cooked meat and tried with fresh mince but it wasn't as good.
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haili
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Gold Star Member
I use minced beef and cook and cool the meat mixture in the fridge before putting the mashed potatoes on top. It solved the problem of the potatoes mixing with the meat since I like lots of gravy. It's really easy to make and not very time consuming - and you have lots of ready made meals to nuke in the microwave when you don't feel like cooking.
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FuzzyO
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I've never used tomato paste in shepherd's pie, interesting.
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heatseeker
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Veteran Member
Tomato paste adds to that nice umami flavour. It's best to cook it for awhile with the meat and veg to get rid of the raw taste.

Another nice little trick is to add a bit of soya sauce.
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helen_t
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Or Worcestershire
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Darcie
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Skeptic
My daughter adds a little Montreal Steak Spice
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FuzzyO
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I use Worcestershire. And I guess mushrooms don't really belong, but I add them.
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