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?

All I've got to do tonight is assemble it and put it in the oven. I usually cook that sort of meal, like a casserole, whilst I'm waiting on the current evenings meal to cook. I always think they taste nicer heated up!

Yes, but last night you pretty much cooked two meals which is not something I could be bothered to do after I have been working all day particularly if I had to take children to and from clubs.

I think of a weekday meal as just being something that isn't that fancy or requires a load of last minute fiddling. Shepard's pie is basically a whole meal in one that you can bang in the oven and not worry too much about it.

I didn't realise "weeknight meal" had such a strict, must absolutely be ready in 30 minutes or less connotation.

We don't eat until 7.30 though.

On another note, who on earth has the time to do a mid-week roast

I actually wouldn't find that as bad as shepherds pie. You can put a roast in the oven and leave the house if you need to drop of children etc.

There are lots of things that are 20-30 minutes from a standing start and are really nice. Why not do one of them rather than a quick version of something that needs at least an hour and a half to be nice?

Shepherds/cottage pie is definitely something that can sit in the fridge for a day or 2.

Mash is easily made with unpeeled spuds chopped up before boiling if you have a potato ricer.
When it comes to chopping this little beast has transformed my chopping (and fine dicing to add mushrooms/peppers/aubergine/anything else DD claims not to like). It is sooo quick.
www.zyliss.co.uk/bestsellers/zyliss-easy-pull-food-processor.html (it is cheaper at other retailers).

I've been bulking out/substituting mince with a lot of veg recently to increase our veg intake (James Wong's cookbook) and it is a godsend.

Lasagna on a week night...surely only if you are making it out of jars?

Cottage pie, I might make on a weeknight if I got in from work early....much more likely to make the night before and reheat.

@ RiddleMeThis2018

guess it depends if where you had read this says it is a suitable bung in the oven meal, or a meal you can make in 30 minutes.
It's not the latter unless you like fairly tough, watery mince.

I casserole mince for these 'pies'. It goes in the oven and simmers away gently for 1-2 hours so the meat is tender. That can be done at any time you are around - even after the evening meal.

Then you cool it, put it in the fridge, or the freezer.

Or- traditionally- this was made from a left over roast- lamb or beef. (It's a fairly recent take on it to use uncooked meat.)

So you'd mince the cold meat or finely chop it, mix in the left over gravy and any left over veg like peas or carrots and that's the base. All you need to add is the mash on the day or whenever.

All you need do when you want to eat it, is make some mash and reheat it.

Not rocket science.

Roast chicken is an easy midweek dinner - if you do it with salad or cook the veg and potatoes round it. Bung in oven and come back 1 and 20 mins later. No faffing. But only if left work early.

I think you can make cottage pie in 40 minutes....but it would be much nicer if cooked for longer.

The fuck are you doing to mince that takes 50 mins?!

Cooking it with onions and garlic and herbs and wine if we’ve got any so that it’s soft and rich and, to quote a famous television eater “full of flavour”...

in Scotland, we have Mince and Tatties

Not just in Scotland, OH loves it, I did it last night with tiny Jersey potatoes and brocolli steamed over the potatos, it was lush.

Not rocket science.
Not something I needed a lecture in either, but thanks anyway

I regularly do cottage pie as a weekday meal but it comes from sainsbury

thesnap making it much tastier

I think weekday supper is just a phrase. Lots of families are busy, don't get home till after 6 have young kids and definitely aren't going to start faffing with cottage pie, others get home at 3:30 have older kids who quietly get on with homework or they have a stay at home parent who has hours during the school day to cook and they could easily make cottage pie.

Mince cooked for 20 mins isn't tough and watery. It can be juicy and tender, cooked up with wine, garlic and herbs.

It really is. 20 minutes to simmer the meat, tomatoes and onions. This can happen while the potatoes are cooking. Dish up, add the mash, in the oven to hear right through and crisp up. I like to have it in the oven for 30-40 minutes but less would work.

Prep in the morning, make the mash in the morning, there are ways around it. Don't use all the listed ingredients.

See I think additions of wine/garlic/herbs are taking it away from shepherds pie heartland. It’s not a ragu.

For me, it’s mince/veg cooked in a gravy. A small amount of tomato purée/Worcester sauce possibly parsley fine, but that’s it.

On the other hand, my rules don’t apply to anyone else, so crack right on with whatever you’re doing

Anything mincy I make a huge vat of and freeze. Thus I have one midweek, day off meal that has taken forever to cook and lots of freezer components which can be used for future midweek freezer meals. So frozen spag bol mince might be combined with batch cooked cheese sauce to make a quick lasagne mid week etc

I only freeze components, not whole meals though, for some reason.

There are two categories that meals fall in to in my house. Bugger to make or bit of a bugger to make.

Chop an onion and put it a pan with a bit of fat/oil, add the mice

I'm in the 'It tastes better if it's had longer to cook' camp. I use lamb mince nowadays and I cook it with fairly finely chopped onion, carrot and swede. The swede makes a big difference. No tomato. I add stock made from Marigold bouillon powder and thicken it with Bisto gravy powder, which is what my mum has always done. It probably cooks for about 20 minutes on the hob, minimum. No cheese on the mash. Green vegetables on the side (although my husband prefers baked beans - but he would probably have baked beans for every meal if he could). Baked on the oven for about half an hour so the two layers have time to get to know each other and the top has a chance to get crusty and brown.

Jamie Oliver does a fish pie without a Béchamel sauce for those fed up with making one.

If you buy a Tesco Finest one it is 👍🏻

On another note, who on earth has the time to do a mid-week roast shock

I actually find roasts less faff, small joint or chicken, put in with potatoes, carrots, onion Swede etc, season etc and then boil a few greens make gravy in roasting tin from juices. 😋

“See I think additions of wine/garlic/herbs are taking it away from shepherds pie heartland. It’s not a ragu.”
I’m a bit forrin’. I have no shame!

I really do feel for the people on here getting off on putting others down about their cottage pies

Dearie me.

True colours of Mumsnet right there.