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?

[Freshbreadandbutter]

Agree Laurie there is pie and there is proper pie

[CustardD123]

I don't think it's ever taken me 50 minutes to simmer the mince... maybe you're oil/fat to mince ratio is off or you're using too much of a lower temperature?

[Sissy79]

Frozen veg, yes. No chopping. Frozen mash or instant mash, no.

Put it in a pan, 3 minutes max.
Brown it, 5 minutes.
Simmer it while you do the potatoes, 30 mins.
Oven with grill on, 5-10 mins.

[RiddleMeThis2018]

custard it doesn’t “take me” 50 mins to simmer the mince. That’s how long recipes, and I, think mince takes to be nice. I’d be interested to hear what you think the fat to mince ratio should be- sounds very scientific!

I’m with PPs who think some of the 40 minutes-to-table recipes sound absolutely rank, particularly the one that talked about sludge and mince water. WTAF??!!

[AutumnCrow]

Sludge mince is what I feed to the tadpoles

[Sissy79]

Tbh the only difference is if someone bothers to add celery, tom purée or a bay leaf. If you skip those, you get grey sludge. Simmering makes no difference in the taste differencen if those things remain the same.

[Ontopofthesunset]

You can brown mince in about 5 minutes. To make a tasty sauce with properly blended flavours, so that the carrots and onions have softened, released their sweetness and absorbed the meat juices, takes a lot longer. You can brown the top of mashed potato in 5 minutes under the grill. To get a pie where the meat and potato layers have merged with each other and continued to develop flavour as they cook, you need to bake it for at least 30 minutes. So it's not that I don't believe that you can make a cottage pie in 40 minutes, it's that I don't think that if I only had 40 minutes I would make a pie I really think is worth making. But as I said before, everyone likes different things, so it's not any kind of judgment.

[CauliflowerBalti]

It takes me way longer than 40 minutes to make a shepherd's/cottage pie - but then I'm the very definition of a slow cooker. I'm not very fast when it comes to chopping, I enjoy the ritual of making a pie, and take my time, so for us, it's a Sunday meal

Grated carrot, finely chopped celery, finely chopped onion, finely chopped mushroom, squirt of tomato puree, glass of red wine, splash of Henderson's relish, rosemary or thyme, a bay leaf... The chef at the place I used to work insisted on all the above going into a red meat gravy, so that's how I make my pies. The slower you brown your mince and the lower the heat/longer the simmer, the more tender it is.

If I made it faster, it wouldn't be as rich.

Midweek meals here tend to be stir fries, burritos, chilli con carne made in the slow cooker over the course of the day, grilled seasoned chicken with roasted vegetables and cous cous. Defrosted freezer food - spaghetti bolognese (also takes me ages to make a ragu), curries...

[Tessabelle74]

Ffs I've seen everything now! I'm getting judged because I don't ponce about for 50 minutes simmering my mince? My cottage pie is a favourite in a house with 2 fussy kids so I'll take their opinion over the Delia wannabes on here, unless you'd like to come round and try it?

[Freshbreadandbutter]

Ooh what is Hendersons Relish? I put a sloosh of Worcester Sauce in mine x

[PCohle]

It seems odd that so many people are defending cooking their mince for 5 minutes by saying all their friends love it.

Of course your friends say it's nice, they're hardly going to say "thanks so much for having me round for dinner, your mince was disgusting and chewy. Byyeeee."

[Mominatrix]

Cottage pie is a mid week meal because it originally was a dish made from leftovers from Sunday roast. No need to speak time developing flavours when most of the components have already been individually cooked. I've never made cottage pie because I don't like roast beef. However I have made shepherds pie to use up leftovers from lamb roast. It always is a very quick thing to put together.

[Fresta]

Yes, Tessa, I am judging from the description of how you make your pie that you clearly have inferior taste buds- and your kids probably know no better if that's how they always have it. It's fine, you carry on if you like it. Those that think their quick cottage pie tastes as good as those who do it properly are delusional.

[BIgBagofJelly]

I agree with PP I could make something approximating cottage pie in 40 minutes but it wouldn't be worth the bother of making it. Might as well do something simpler and more tasty. TO actually develop the flavours into a decent meal is going to take much longer.

[Tessabelle74]

Fresta
😂 Tw@ts like you are the reason I come here, you're all so amusing! I follow my Nana's recipe (9 kids) via my Mum' so there's a fair few of us like it just fine. Ponce away, I've got better things to do with my time 😂

[Dungeondragon15]

I don't think that people are being "tw@ts" for pointing out that it takes at least an hour to make a decent version. Even the "no fuss" type recipes online state that it will take an hour.

[floribunda18]

It is a weekday supper but it is more time consuming from start to finish than most things I would make. Usually I try and make things that take half an hour.

[Usuallyinthemiddle]

This is wonderful. I've never seen so many heated opinions on cottage pie!

[Freshbreadandbutter]

I know! Do you think we will make 40 pages? Very British I must say

[blackteasplease]

I see it as a weekday meal. But equally I might go mad and make it at the weekend.

Have skimmed and the original question still seems relevant!

[Tessabelle74]

Dungeondragon15
They're being tw@ts for saying that a quicker version isn't possible and if it is, it must be crap, it is possible and it isn't crap. There's ways of making it that don't require anywhere near as much effort as some take. Jamie Oliver does his in even less time in fact, anyone telling him his must be crap?
itsthemother.com/cottage-pie-recipe/

[Freshbreadandbutter]

Tess that looks as bland as hell though

[Freshbreadandbutter]

If you go back a few pages there is a Jamie Oliver recipe that takes 6.5 hours! Looks absolutely delicious 😋

[RiddleMeThis2018]

@tessabell74 @fresta woah, let’s not fall out over cottage pie!
Separately, i’m getting an idea for a tv show. I hate cookery programmes and competitions generally on tv, but i’m thinking, invite a load of people on, just to cook their own cottage pie. A judge declares the winner. Simple, but effective. I mean, I GUESS you could include other bog standard fare - shepherd’s, fish, maybe Yorkshire puddings, but I really don’t think you’d need to!

[happybunny007]

Clearly not, its a 7 series epic!