to say that cottage pie is NOT a “weekday meal”

[RiddleMeThis2018]

Cottage pie is delicious. I know how to make it, but sometimes I like to look at a recipe online, to make sure I don’t put too much tomato in by mistake (disappointing, not to be recommended). Almost ALL the recipes say “delicious week-night supper” or similar. This is NOT a weeknight supper!! I couldn’t do it yesterday because the DCs and I got back from swimming too late. I’m not even working today and I had to psych myself up to it. The mince takes 50 mins to simmer, and that’s after all the chopping. Then there’s 20 mins in the oven assuming you time the potatoes right. And then the washing up!

I don’t blame cottage pie. I blame the website writers who want to make me think I should just whip this up on a Thursday when I get in from work. AIBU?

@RiddleMeThis2018

Are you serious?

I think my 'weekday meal' they mean it's suitable for eating on a weekday - ie not a special meal .

The assumption is you will cook it and prepare in advance, then bung in the oven to re-heat it when you get home from work or whatever.

I can't see how you can't understand this and why there are 11 pages where people seem to think along the same lines.

Is it that hard to understand?

Yanbu. It's a right palaver. We have it occasionally, sometimes at the weekend sometimes mid week. But only if I've got 3 hours in which to cook it!

50 minutes to cook the mince?? Are you cooking it over a candle?
Tomato in cottage pie?

My cottage pie takes 45 mins max from start to finish.

It's a bog standard weekday meal here, 45 minutes max from start to finish, and the last 25 I'm sat on my bum while it's in the oven.
YABVVU for putting tomatoes in it. Blergh!

"flowery
Here's how it's 30 mins:
Fill a kettle
While it's boiling, peel spuds and chop them quite small. (5 mins)
Put boiled kettle water into pan with spuds and cook for 10 mins.
While they are cooking chop onion and carrot and start to fry. Add mince and cook until timer sounds to say spuds are ready. Add stock and let the mince simmer (You're now at 15 mins)
Drain spuds and mash them (5 mins. You're now at 20 mins.)
Turn on the grill. get out the ovenproof dish. Spoon the mince mixture into the dish and spread mash on top (you're now at 25 mins)
Grill for 5 mins.

30 mins."

Well, you're a better woman (I assume) than I! No way could I peel and chop potatoes and onions and carrots and fry them and brown mince and add stock all in 15 minutes. It would probably take me at least 10 minutes just for all the peeling and chopping alone, without any cooking having taken place at all. My chopping skills are clearly deficient. Which is not surprising given how infrequently they get used...!

I would also want to cook the mince for a lot longer than you do, but that's a different issue.

I do vegetarian cottage pie - use a tin/ sachet of puy lentils instead of mince - put in with your carrots onions etc simmer while your potatoes are cooking. it's a half hour meal and yummy - and make a big one and you can have in for two nights - so one night you don't need to cook at all (my main motivation in life - not having to cook unnecessarily)

I don’t think it’s anything to do with being sanctimonious or an arse. Some people like cooking and enjoy taking time over it, and some don’t. Personally, with something like a lasagna or a shepherd’s pie, I’d rather make it when I had time to spend over it, and make something else if I wanted it to be quick.

"I think my 'weekday meal' they mean it's suitable for eating on a weekday - ie not a special meal.

The assumption is you will cook it and prepare in advance, then bung in the oven to re-heat it when you get home from work or whatever."

Surely that would be a freezer meal or similar? I really don't think when people say weekday meal they mean "meal someone prepares at the weekend for reheating during the week"

Put mince,veg etc in gravy in a slow cooker on low before work,get home boil potatoes,mash then plonk on top of mince,brown under grill.Could be ready in 30 mins.

Surely that would be a freezer meal or similar? I really don't think when people say weekday meal they mean "meal someone prepares at the weekend for reheating during the week"
YES!

I can't see how you can't understand this and why there are 11 pages where people seem to think along the same lines.
I know! We’re all such FOOLS!

Weekday meal ideas always seem designed for sahms of older DCs

I work full time. Get home at 6. It's ready by 6.45.

@LazyLizzy some people want their kids in bed by that point though? That’s too late for my two to eat which I think is what the poster was getting at with the ‘older DCs’ comment. I’m sure this is where you’ll come back and tell me your kids are 4/5 and eat at that time but some people want to be at the bath/story stage by that time.

Cottage pie is NOT a midweek meal and neither is cock. Oh hang on, I might be getting my threads mixed up! 😂

The lower and slower the mince is cooked, the nicer it is (though not in a slow cooker), so not really a mid-week supper for me.

I could do a speedier version since I bought a mini-chopper to get the veg chopped faster (cack-handed chopper, here), but really I prefer not to, as it's tastier IMO if the flavours are allowed to mingle for longer.

Also, generally, I'm so knackered and pushed for time on weeknights that I would rarely have the inclination.

The mini-chopper has been a game-changer for speeding up meal prep in general, though. Would highly recommend.

Always weekday. But like lasagne I make up big batch of the mince n freeze dinners. I don't freeze potatoes tho they always turn watery. I might boil n mash night before or morning, or I use ready made puff pastry n pop that on top n into the oven of an evening.

Its a weekday meal if you use Smash with masses of butter & cheese in it (can't cook, crap cook).

It’s one of the easiest, quickest meals. 40mins and it’s done if you’re organised.

Another reason it isn't one of my weekday meals is that it creates a lot of washing up. A pasta saucepan in the dishwasher is my maximum idea of mess on a working day.

who in the world boils mince for 50 mins it would be done to death i put the meat bits in one pan, chop the potatoes up small in another pan they go on at the same time 30 minutes and because i like my mash on top crunchy i put it in the oven for half an hour walk away but i make a huge big roasting tin sized one so i can freeze portions for another day and yes its midweek

”I know! We’re all such FOOLS!”

Somehow I think when there are 11 pages of people thinking one thing, and one person thinking something else, it might be worth the one person pausing to reflect on whether maybe they might not be entirely correct....

You can make cottage pie in 40 minutes but it won’t be as good as one that lets the mince simmer.

I think of it as a midweek meal because it’s inexpensive, a simple dish as presented on the table and doesn’t take too much faffing and timing at the end. It also doesn’t take too long actually in the kitchen. You can leave the mince simmering slowly and head off to catch up on game of thrones do the laundry.

Bloody strike out fail.

I’m sure this is where you’ll come back and tell me your kids are 4/5 and eat at that time but some people want to be at the bath/story stage by that time.

Ha ha no Greenfield19 those days are gone, I'm middle aged with adult DC

I was commenting on the post about it being a meal designed for SAHM's

Chop the potatoes and put on to boil. I don't peel them and I boil a kettle while I'm chopping. 2 mins to chop, 15-20 to boil while prepping the other ingredients

Chop an onion and put it a pan with a bit of fat/oil, add the mice, once the mince is browned add a bit of flour, stir in and add a stock cube and boiling water (I boil the kettle again).

Turn the oven on.

Simmer the mince until the potatoes are cooked. then put the mince and onion in an ovenproof dish. I might add some frozen veg at this point.

Mash the potato, skins and all.

Top the mince with the mash, dot butter on and putin the oven for 20 mins.

So maybe 45 mins from start to putting on the table.

But as someone else said, you can use a tin of mince and onion and instant mash.