Page title and description

Basic cottage pie
Meat mains
Basic cottage pie
Ingredients
- 1kg floury potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 150g butter
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 500g beef mince
- 250ml beef stock
- 1 tsp cornflour
- Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper
Method
Prep time:
20 min
PT20M
Cooking time:
1h
PT1H
-
Step 1
Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water. Meanwhile, a little butter (or beef dripping if you're feeling luxurious) in a pan over a moderate heat, then add the vegetables. Cook until soft, but do not brown. Add the thyme, and then the mince. -
Step 2
Brown the mixture all over, and then add half of the stock. Whisk the other half with the cornflour, and then stir into the pan. Add a generous dash of Worcestershire sauce and simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes. -
Step 3
Drain the potatoes, mash with most of the butter, and season to taste. Taste and season the meat, adding more Worcestershire sauce if necessary. If it looks dry, pour in a little water. -
Step 4
Put the meat into a large baking dish and top with the mash. Smooth the top with a fork and dot with small pieces of butter. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes until the potato is crisp and beginning to brown.