To think you do not cook cottage pie like this?

[Louie92]

A freind was saying that she boils her mincemeat before putting in the oven.
I always fry mine.
How do you do your cottage/shepherds pie?

Food snobbery is so tiresome, just like all other forms of snobbery.

"I know someone who boils the mince in milk. She says it tenderizes it."

I was re-watching 'Upstairs, Downstairs' and they cooked the meat in milk when anyone was ill, or for infants.

in them days, it was boiled. I do mine fried and I've used Oxo's and Knoor stock pots. I also use both in Scouse.

I braise it then add the stock and carrots and simmer for a while to get all the flavour out then in the oven.

Lamb shanks in the slow cooker with stock, red wine, balsamic vinegar and garlic finished off with bisto lamb is the food of the gods. I give not one shit if it’s not posh, it’s awesome!

@Birdsgottafly what’s Scouse?

Boiled mince has been done a million times on here before. It’s always wrong

I frey mince, onions, veg and all that then add stock and cook until reduced.

Fry with red onion. Add thyme and a bloody long squirt of tomato puree and a bit of stock. Top with roasted butternut squash chunks and sprinkle with parmesan.

We call it posh farmers pie. Not sure why.

I can't possibly be the one one who puts beans in?!

I grew up with non fried mince cottage pie base and still do it now.

Just chuck the mince into a pot with the usual stuff plus some worcestershire sauce and stock and/or gravy. No pre frying needed. Leave to simmer until tender and transfer to dish, then put mash on top. Drain off some of the sauce if too runny. Yummy.

Some shepherds/cottage pies can be a bit grainy, but I can guarantee that the above method works.

Each to their own.

My mum and grandma both boiled the mince. After straining the mince the stock was saved in a jug in the fridge for making gravy. I think it is the more traditional way - but not my way (I fry off the fat).

Food snobbery is so tiresome, just like all other forms of snobbery

What's tiresome is po-faced intolerance of other views particularly when they're tongue in cheek.

It's not snobbery to dislike Bisto or Oxo as they're rank.

Notreallyarsed, it's basically a Beef Stew, but it was traditionally Lamb and Beef.

I remember my mum boiling mince-It stunk and was a grey lump floating in water-however her cottage pies were always good.
ICELOLLY99 Another Tom K fan here and I too roast in the oven first now-gets rid off all the fat!

Brown the mince for colour with diced onions/celery/carrot, pour off some fat if needed, stir in seasoning and tbsp flour, add stock and simmer to make gravy and until meat is tender.

There are some foodie freaks here!

Simple ways are best for the simple dishes prepared long before we had access to anything other than carrotts, onions, peas and gravy.

Away with you trying to change a staple dish that cannot be improved I say!

But the idea of boiling mince leaves me cold. Should be simmered for ages, same as for Bolognaise.

Tom K also recommends using gravy granules so if it's good enough for him!...........
I have in the past put baked beans in my cottage pie and I thought it added to the flavour.

Oxo has its place! I use it when I want a really rich stock. The only instant stock that seems to ever achieve it. Life is too short to be making a midweek beef stock!

It's not like boiling potatoes though. Boiling the meat and then draining off the water would be horrid.

Simmering/boiling in the liquid it will be served with is splitting hairs since I'm pretty sure a simmer is a subset of the general concept of cooking in hot liquid (eg "boil").

Allways fry first then boil in water, gives it a bit more flavour 😊

I dry fry the mince add mixed veg and onions and gravy Oxo , or those gravy melts (everyone's different this is how we like it) and top with mash potato and put it under the grill for five minutes I sometimes add crushed ready salted crips to the mash to make it crunchy .

Is she doing slimming world. I know u can boil the mince and keep draining till all the fats gone to make it syn free.

This exact thread was on MN a year or so ago, I swear.

Frying is essential for flavour. I don't mind some fat being left in, but all excess watery liquid has to be removed.

Boiling mince sounds a bit odd, but obviously some people do it!

What's tiresome is po-faced intolerance of other views particularly when they're tongue in cheek.

It's not snobbery to dislike Bisto or Oxo as they're rank.

Ah, the old Can't you take a joke! response. I see where you're coming from now.

May be a regional thing. My mum (Scots) boiled the mince. My dad (English) fried the mince first. My mum's mince was a pretty disgustingly tasteless experience TBH (though admittedly the gravy when mopped up with bread was brilliant), much preferred my dad's, so that's the way I now cook it. Having said that, my mum did used to get the butcher to mince braising steak for her, and I can't abide cheap crappy mince.