Anyone with a really good cottage pie recipe, and how do you make toad in the hole?

[handlemecarefully]

Seriously, I can't find anything in my (dust covered) recipe books. Recipe books are so 'posh' these days they don't seem to cover traditional British food. Perhaps the recipes for the above are so elementary it is assumed that everybody knows them...but I don't!

Cottage pie. I fry steak mince until it's browned, drain the fat, add onions and garlic, fry a bit more, then add carrots and mushrooms. Mix up some bisto powder in water, and pour it into the pan with some tomato puree. Add water to get whatever thickness of gracy you want the meat to cook in.
Meanwhile peel some potatoes and cut them up small, boil until soft. Mash them with a bit of butter. Tip the meat mix into an oven proof dish, spread the mash on top. Cover with grated cheese, and put in the oven at 200c for about 25 mins.

I could tell you my recipe for toad in the hole too, but I have no scales, I do it by feel, which makes it hard to describe what the batter should look/feel like.

Basic ingredients are plain flour, eggs, milk, water pinch of salt. Brown the sausages before you put them in the oven to cook. Make sure to heat the baking dish with a bit of oil in it as well, so it sizzles when you add the batter. Takes about 20 (ish) mins to cook at 210c.

My DP makes cottage pie the same as lou33 but also adds brown sauce into the gravy, tastes better than my mum used to make it, and that is saying something.

hmc,

We make as per Lou33 but with lamb mince (not a great beef eater) and add a dash Worcestershire sauce to meat mixture.

Mrs Beeton's batter recipe is 100g plain flour, pinch of salt, 1 egg and 250ml milk (or 1/2milk,1/2 water). I normally put the sausages in the dish with some oil into the hot oven (220c or gas mark 7) for 15 minutes or so to brown before adding the batter.

hth

I use the recipe that's on the back of the label on Tescos Organic lamb mince! Technically that's shepherd's pie I guess. I use a can of chopped tomatoes instead of tomato puree and ad a fre extra veggies though.

I always put a bit of Lea & Perrins, Worcestershire Sauce in my Cottage pie.

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Our current variation of this favourite is chilli cottage pie - add chilli powder and kidney beans and put a sweet potato mash on the top - mmmmm

My family not keen on carrots so I sometimes add chopped swede instead. Also sometimes add soured cream to mashed pots.

Do you still need recipes ....

Shepherds Pie - lamb mince
Cottage pie - beef mince

Brown meat (about 750g for 4 people)
Drain and keep to one side
in jiuces left in pan throw in a chopped up leek, 1 chopped onion, 2 medium carrots and 1 stick of chopped celeryfor about 10mins.

Return meat to pan and add tbsp tom puree and tbsp worsestershire sauce.

Add 100ml of stock and season and simmer for 10/15 mins.

Transer to casserole dish , top with mash potato ( I sometimes use potateos, sweet potato and parsnip, or omit the sweet.pot or omit the parsnip etc).

Dot with butter, bake for 25 mins.

Serve with peas!!!!!!!!!!!!

Toad in Hole :
Make batter - 1/2 pint milk, 4oz plain flour, salt, 3 eggs

Put just under 1/2 inch of sunflower oil in baking tin, and put in oven at highest setting.
When oil very hot add 8 sausages and a couple sprigs of rosemary, cook until golden.

When golden take out of oven, por in batter, put back and don't open door for at least 20 mins. Remoce when golden & crisp.

Serve with an onion gravy and mash or mash & bakes beans, yummmmmmmmm

I always squirt a bit of HP sauce into my cottage pie. Mmmmmmmmm

Oh and I do remember someone telling me it's very good made with a tin of campbell's condensed oxtail soup.

Thanks very much guys - will go forth and cook now (well not right now, for tomorrow's tea...)

Toad in the hole is my ds's favourite meal - the key to the whole thing is to have the oil really hot before your pour in the batter.

If you do your yorkshire puddings for sunday lunch just make a bit extra batter and then its in the fridge ready for tea on Monday after school - yumm and easy!

I'll probably get stoned for saying this, but Tesco do a frozen Toad in the Hole for 98p or 5 for £4 which are absolutely gorgeous - unwrap and stick in oven for 35 mins ... foolproof

I buy the big yorkshire puddings, already made (not too good in the kithchen) and add sausage mash and veg for my toad in the hole.

Reading this is making me hungry! I was looking for a cottage pie recipe for Friday.

If I put it together on Wednesday, can I keep it in the fridge until Friday night and then do the final cook or is there an easier way to store it?

(And Thomcat, if you're reading this, we still have 'Thomcat's Chicken Pie' - the one with the marscapone - on a regular basis. Thanks!)

Add a bit of mustard powder, and black pepper to batter mix for toad in the hole for extra flavour. I love toad in the hole!!

and i was just about to start a thread for ideas for my tea tonight - toad in the hole it is!!!!

My cottage pie,

Soften onion and grated carrot in a pan. Add mince and brown all over. Add a beef oxo cube and Worcestershire Sauce. Stir in a tin of chopped toms and a handful of frozen peas. In another pan boil spuds for mash to top the pie. bung under a hot grill and serve with peas. I somtimes put a leak and cheese on top of the mashed potato (Saint Delia stylee), sometimes just grated cheese or sometimes just plain.