Cottage pie and shepherds pie variations ...

[nappyaddict]

Which have you tried and tested?
Which do you like most?

Has anyone tried them topped with sliced swede, carrot, sweet potato, parsnips, turnip or butternut squash? I know these make good wedges so was thinking they could perhaps also work as a sliced topping either with olive oil or knobs of butter to make it crispy or with crispy cheese topping?

Other ideas I've come up with:

Chilli cottage pie topped with sliced sweet potatoes or sweet potato mash

Cottage pie/shepherds pie come moussaka (layer par boiled potato slices and mince and either pour cheese sauce over the top and top with grated cheese, browned under the grill or omit the sauce and just have the cheese topping.)

Cottage pie/shepherds pie with carrot, swede, parsnip, sweet potato, butternut squash and potato mash with sliced, cooked leeks stirred in and topped with grated cheese.

Cottage pie/shepherds pie with half mash and half sliced potato/sliced vegetables

And IMO cottage pie must always be made with onion gravy!

Variations I've done:

Cottage pie or shepherd's pie is nice with cheesey/mustardy mash on top for a change.

I've never done it but I guess you could top it with Colcannon too.

I like to use cubed lamb rather than mince and add a tin of baked beans or puy lentils when doing shepherd's pie.

So I always make the mash for the top with potato with at least one other root veg, normally, swede and carrot, a little bit of cheese, plenty of garlic.

Spinach Powder in with the meat is good, adds a nice spinachy robustness to the meat sauce.

Layered potato, courgette, meat, cheese sauce topped with cheese - as you say a mousaka homage is very good and common. I never par boil the potatoes though, just cook it for longer.

I've never put sliced veg on top, I fear they'd dry too much in the oven without being able to toss them in the oil regularly - not so much of a problem with a squash compared to a root veg though. I don't roast my veg with much oil though so if you plastered more on at the start it may not be a problem.

I love tomato sliced up between the mash and mince in shepards pie.

White mustard, fine ground, is lovely in mash.

I think I am going to try tomato and courgette layering for the mousakka come cottage pie thing to.