Comforting Cottage Pie

With travelling as my favorite hobby one wouldn't expect me to be so averse to change. While traveling you have to be flexible. Plans change and you have to be able to go with the flow. However, when it comes to the rest of my life, going with the flow as the river of my life changes course is not as easy. Often finding myself peddling upstream before deciding it is time to let myself be whisked off in the other direction, I fight change finding comfort in the predictability of my circumstances. Lately the tides of change have swiftly begun to take me in a new direction and instead of desperately paddling against them to stay in course, I find myself getting swept away by the current. I am overwhelmed  & terrified about what I may find around the next bend but my excitement at the prospect of what I could discover stops me from digging my paddle in. 

With all the changes swiftly uprooting my life, it is nice to go back to the basics and enjoy a cherished comfort from home. My absolutely favorite food of all time is cottage pie. Often referred to as "washing day food" because you take whatever is leftover from the Sunday roast, bung it all together and make a fabulous dinner without much effort, it is a British treat that my mum used to make for us once a week growing up. 

I hope you enjoy this Comforting Cottage Pie recipe as much as I do!

Cottage Pie

The Odds & Ends

1 1/2 lbs extra lean ground beef (substitute beef for lamb and you will have shepherd's pie)

2 large russet potatoes (a healthier option is to substitute with sweet potato)

2 carrots (chopped)

2 sticks of celery (chopped)

2 large tomatoes (chopped)

1 large onion

1 clove of garlic

3/4 cups corn

3/4 cups petit pois (small peas)
(Note: all vegetables are optional and interchangeable except for the potato.)

1 egg yolk

1/4 cup milk

3 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp of olive oil

3 tsp tomato paste

1 cup broth (my favorite is chicken)

3 tsp freshly chopped Rosemary 

2 tsp freshly chopped Thyme

Salt & Pepper to Taste

1/4 cup Parmesan & Asiago blend cheeses

Heat Things Up

1. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch chunks. Place in a medium sized pot filled with cold water and a dash of salt. 

2. Place covered pot over high heat and allow to boil. 

3. Once boiling remove lid, lower heat slightly, and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. (remove from heat when potatoes are soft.)

4. Preheat oven to 400° F

5. Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan (I like to use my wok) over medium to high heat. 

6. Saute garlic and onions for 3 minutes before adding carrots & celery. 

7. After cooking the vegetables for 3 more minutes add the ground beef with salt & pepper and brown the meat.

8. Once the meat has browned sprinkle the flour over the meat as you stir, incorporating it gradually into the beef. 

9. Add the broth, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, and fresh herbs. Stirring until all are well mixed in together. 

10. Lower temperature and cover meat allowing to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally allowing gravy to thicken.

11. Drain the potatoes before returning them to the saucepan. 

12. Add the milk, butter, egg yolk, and a dash of salt & pepper to the potatoes. 

13. Mash all together until smooth.

14. Stir corn & peas into beef mixture

15. Transfer beef mixture into a large cast iron pot.

16. Carefully heap the mashed potatoes on top of the beef mixture in the pot starting from the outside and working your way in. Make sure to level the potatoes out with a fork to make a smooth even topping. 

17. Sprinkle with cheese blend.

18. Cover and place in preheated oven for 25 minutes, removing the lid after 10 minutes, allowing the top to crispen.

19. At the ring of your buzzer, remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

20. Enjoy!