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?

Oh god, don’t get me started on bloody lasagne. Although also delicious.

Weekday supper here as I do mine the night before but if I haven't got time or inclination to do mash, I top with finely sliced potatoes - unpeeled in the blender so literally minutes and cooked from raw if they're fine enough or cooked long & slow.

I want cottage pie for tea now [wanders off to see if there’s any mincein the freezer]

It entirely depends on what time you get in whether this is a mid-week supper or not. One of us gets home with the children at 6 the other at 7. I'm not starting a cottage pie at gone 6 on top of all the other tasks that need doing. I do agree that it can be a mid-week freezer meal if batch cooked ahead though.

In my book a proper lasagne from scratch takes a good couple of hours.

I like to cook the mince for longer than 20 minutes and bake it in the oven rather than flash it under the grill so its a fairly lengthy process in our house.

Like lasagne, it tends to be something done with batch cooked mince from the freezer anyway, which cuts down part of the time. And I tend to make a massive one and we have it for two nights, so the second night is a reheating doddle.

Who puts tomato in cottage pie?!

This^^

The only pain in the arse with a cottage pie is peeling and boiling potatoes everything else is simple.

If you want to save time:

Frozen pre cut veg
Frozen mash
Pre grated cheese for extra laziness

Cottage pie is midweek for us because I make it as soon as I get in (30 minute mince cooking time, into oven for 6.30 ish) but we don't eat it for another hour or so, thereby offsetting some of the flavour development to the baking stage. No way could I do that for a lasagne, which takes pretty much all day, or if I had to feed small DCs within an hour of getting in the door, unless I'd precooked the constituents.
Isn't midweek supper vs weekend treat about the complexity and luxury/formality of the dish rather than the time it takes to cook?
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Why do you need to simmer the mince for 50 minutes ??

Who puts tomato in cottage pie?!

I just use a tablespoon of tomato puree.

Growing up, in my family, cottage pie was basically Bolognese topped with mash

How odd, other than a roast Sunday lunch I had idea meals were allocated to days of the week.

Mince simmered for 50 sounds revolting, you really aren't doing it right OP, I'd say I make a cottage pie every couple of weeks and can do it from start to finish in about 45 mins if the potatoes aren't too wonky.

I don't batch cook and I make lasagna and cottage pie in the week. Just start cooking them a bit earlier than quicker things - although I think most of my meals take about an hour!

YABU

It’s a week day meal in our house, no problem. If you prefer to do your mince longer (your choice, not required) then get a slow cooker, assemble those ingredients in the morning into the slow cooker then all you need to is put together and pop into the oven. Another cheat is buying the mash either fresh or frozen. Or boil your potatoes and just make the mash when you get in.

If you really, really want to save time. Tin of M&S minced beef, loads of frozen veg, ready mashed potato. Preparation time 10 minutes

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

This ^ same with lasagna. Big pan of spag bol and use left over to knock up lasagna.

Tomato is good with beef because it breaks down any fatty/stringy bits

Blimey it's the type of meal I do when I can't be bothered to cook, it's so quick and simple also lasagne.

I'm sure I don't simmer the mince for 50 mins. I don't time it, but I simmer it for exactly the time it takes to peel, chop, boil and mash the potatoes. Once the potatoes are ready, I'd start to construct the pie.

Overall, I reckon I make it start to finish in under an hour. I would generally cook one for dinner and one (or maybe 2) for the freezer, so it feels like time well spent.

I think bar pizza or beige food, most meals take me somewhere between 30 and 60 minutes to cook, so CP doesn't stand out as being a particularly time consuming meal to cook. TBH the one I get ticked off with is fish pie. Cottage pie requires mash, lasagne requires betchamel, fish pie requires both AND hard boiled eggs. I get bored of cooking before its done!

mince which has been cooked for longer is more tender, tastes much, much nicer. Same goes for spag bol with mince, or anything with mince really!

All those moaning about lasagna - here is the trick. Monday night spag bol or pasta bake with bolognese sauce. Make double.
Thursday night lasagna using the other half of the sauce - or freeze it and use it next week. Then the lasagna is easy, make bechemal sauce and assemble, chuck in oven while cooking veg and setting table.

You do not need to simmer mince for 50 mins. WTAF?

Different if you’re using chunks of stewing meat.

Frozen mash is a total lifesaver btw.

Definitely midweek here, 40-45 mins tops.

Get in from work around 6:45, usually have dinner ready around 7:30 but no toddlers so I can concentrate on getting it done without being disturbed. Also lasagne is definitely midweek here too...

The longer the mince is simmered the better. If you can knock up a cottage pie, start to finish, in 45 min I guarantee its chewy and is doing a great disservice to the cottage pie name.

Likewise Bolognese sauce - simmered for four hours minimum pls!

I do it in stages during the day - sweat the carrot and shallot and then brown the mince. Add Worcester Sauce, herbs, paprika and concentrated tomato puree. Simmer for about 15 mins and leave in dish. Later cook potatoes and mash, spread on top of meat and top with cheese. Bake in oven for 30 mins or so.

yanbu
same for macaroni & cheese

I can get an unbaked Macaroni cheese or a carbonara on the table in 15 mins if using dry pasta, less if fresh. 30 mins if baked: no layers or meat to soften=speed!

I'm vegetarian, but the only cottage pie we used to have was on day three of the Sunday roast. Day two was cold meat and fried potatoes. Day three was shepherd's or cottage pie. No mince involved.