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?

[BrexitBingoGenerator]

WAitrose do this amazing thing called Solfrito - it’s chopped celery, carrot and onion. So that’s about 10mins of your life saved.

Quorn mince takes about 10 mins to simmer- much quicker than beef.

Mashed potato you can buy frozen too! This changed my life.

This way, I can go from setting foot in the kitchen to eating I’m about 35 mins if I’m not distracted.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be arsed doing it in the week, am too lazy!!

[BertrandRussell]

But I like to slow cook the meat.

[JudgeRindersMinder]

Frozen. Chopped. Veg is the answer

[steppemum]

It is a weekday supper for me.
But then so is beef stew, spag bol, lasagne, chicken casserole, steak and kid
etc
They all require the meat to be cooking for a while, so prep early and then leave to cook, come back and finish off (eg the mash) later.

I can only do this because I work from home. Some of then I could do after school - put meat on at 3:30.
My mum used to do them the night before and leave the oven on timer, so she walked in from work to a cooked meal. I don't know anyone who does that any more!

But most of those don;t actually take much prep, they just need the time to cook (and the mince does taste MUCH better if it has simmered for 50 minutes, and you don't need ANY tomatoes! )

[WipeYourFeetOnTheRhythmRug]

It’s about as bog standard and weekday as it comes!

[1CarefulLadyOwner]

The whole point about cottage pie or shepherd's pie, which makes them a week-day meal, is that you are supposed to use the leftovers from your Sunday roast. This would cut out the cooking time for "raw" mince.
IMHO they taste better if using leftovers, but I might just be old-fashioned ;-)

[PCohle]

Surely anything people eat midweek is a "weekday meal"? I didn't realise it was such a term of art.

[leafinthewind]

I'm with you. And whoever mentioned lasagne.

If you can eat the constituent parts desperately, but they make a better dish cooked together for a second time, the first one is a midweek meal and the second is for the weekend. Thus savoury mince and potatoes is midweek; cottage pie is weekend. Pasta bolognese is midweek (but only just, the way I make it...); lasagne is weekend.

[holdupthere]

MUCH less complicated than a lasagne!


Cottage pie can be nice and simple. You could cheat and use m&s ultimate ready mash heh

[BertrandRussell]

40 minutes? Including peeling and cooking the potatoes? Is this going to turn into one of those “I regularly walk at 5 miles an hour” threads?

[leafinthewind]

Separately, not desperately! Though there are definitely some days I'm desperate about cooking...

[LoafofSellotape]

It's a week day meal in this house. Less than an hour and if I'm really pushed for time I use frozen mash which I actually prefer as it's drier.

[Vulpine]

Vegetarian version doesn't take long although it's no longer a cottage pie

[Dixiechickonhols]

Do mince in slow cooker. Then cook mash and assemble and brown under grill. I tried a recipe which added a bag of fresh vegetables soup mix to mince (finely diced carrots, leek, swede, onions) was really nice and lots of hidden veg.

[madcatladyforever]

I used to do it as a weekday supper when my son lived at home, now I live alone it's mostly soup.
Along with fish pie, lasagne, pasta etc. It doesn't take 40 mins to cook mince surely if you don't put too much liquid in it.

[greenelephantscarf]

yanbu
same for macaroni & cheese
unless it's pre-prepared or a ready meal it's faff central for a weeknight when we are only home around 6pm

[Shadycorner]

I'm with you op. I think it takes a while to do properly (well it does me anyway). I only work pt minimal hrs so can start on any cooking like this in the morning when I have the energy. I'd definitely find it too long winded to do after work + swimming.

The trick though is to make it in sufficient quantities that you cook once, serve twice. Make an extra pie to put in the freezer then you are ahead.

[PCohle]

Cooking it for a while make is much more tender and flavourful though doesn't it? I cook mine for a couple of hours

[DulcieRay]

I am always surprised how long baked pies and pasta bakes take. It takes me as long to make a roast dinner as cottage/shepherds pie from scratch

[Mia1415]

I agree with you OP. Its definitely not a weekday meal in our house.

[itshappened]

I work full time and by the time I've picked up my daughter from nursery, there is no way I have time to make cottage pie and get her fed, bathed and in bed for 7pm by the time I get home! I think the mince needs to simmer for at least 45 mins to ensure it has lots of flavour. Not sure how anyone could make the whole thing from scratch in 40 mins and it actually have lots of flavour.

[DatsunCogs]

YANBU. I don't make anything midweek that takes more than 15 minutes. Either for DC or me and DH. We often don't get home until 6 but even when we do I'm very impatient!

You can make some decent meals in 15 minutes but cottage pie isn't one of them.

[formerbabe]

I feel the same way about lasagne. So many steps.

For cottage/shepherds pie, use frozen mash to save time. I don't even defrost it, I put the frozen blocks straight on top of the meat

[tisonlymeagain]

Definitely a weekday meal - but I class most meals as weekday. Not unknown to do a full roast when I fancy it!

[BernardsarenotalwaysSaints]

Bertrand

I’d say probably an hour to an hour and a quarter, inc veg prep this includes placating small children