Cottage pie

Last Wednesday, February 3rd, was our dog Sampson's 1st birthday. In a house where the dog is worshiped like a first son, it's no surprise that we threw him a birthday party fit for a prince. My menu that night was based on the raw meat cupcake with mashed potato icing I made as a treat for Sampson. If you think about it, cottage pie is just the cooked version of Sampson's cupcake. Isn't that appetizing?


Cottage pie is similar to shepherd's pie except the filling is made with ground beef instead of ground lamb. The meat is cooked together with onions and other vegetables, then mixed with a gravy and topped with mashed potatoes. A bit of expert advice from S, who is half English and has had many cottage pies, the meat layer should be about twice as thick as the potatoes. I cooked my cottage pie in a pan that was too big (a 9"x 13" pyrex). If you don't have the recommended 2 quart baking dish then just make a note to scale down on the mashed potato layer.

Cottage pie (adapted from Rachel Ray's Shepherd's Pie)
Serves 8

Ingredients

Meat mixture:
1 3/4 pounds ground beef
2 carrots peeled and diced
1 can of peas or 1.5 cups of frozen peas defrosted
1 diced onion
salt and pepper

Mashed potatoes:
2 pounds potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1 egg yolk
3 tbs butter
2 tsp salt and ground pepper

Gravy:
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1 cup broth (any kind)
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees or to broil (if you happen to have that option...)

Wash the potatoes and quarter them. Keep the skins on a thicker mashed potato with more texture. Boil the potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. While the potatoes boil, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and brown the meat for 5 minutes. Drain off any excess fat then add the onions, carrots and peas. Cook the meat and vegetables together for another five minutes. Remove the meat from heat. In a small sauce pan melt 2 tbs of butter over low heat. When the butter has completely melted slowly add the 2 tbs of flour and mix over the low heat for 1 minute until the flour is fully incorporated into the butter. Add the broth and mix constantly over medium heat while the gravy begins to thicken. Once thick add the worchestershire sauce and mix well. Add the gravy mixture to the meat mix together. Pour the meat into the baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sour cream and egg yolk. Drain potatoes and add them to the mixing bowl. Add the butter while mashing the potatoes. Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture. Sprinkle paprika on top of the potatoes and broil for 8 minutes until the potatoes are slightly browned.