Cottage Pie/Shepherds Pie whatever you call it

[jenk1]

saw Emma whatsherface on celebrity masterchef making this last night and it looked really good.
she put baked beans in hers, everytime ive made one it just tastes like really boring.

i fry my mince with onions and add a bit of gravy granules to make it meaty then mashed potato on the top and put in the oven and its boring. what am i doing wrong?
i really want to make one and have the ingredients.

Mine is quite plain and just mince with a bit of water and flour in oven for 20 mins, then a bit of worcester sauce, tom puree, ketchup etc, and then cook for another hour, all on low heat. I mash carrots and sweet potatoes as well as normal potatoes for the topping. DS loves it.

I do, at about 150-160. Probably only because my mum does! She says it gives it more flavour to cook it for longer. I've got no idea really!

I put turnip in my mash, gives a much nicer flavour!

lamb nicer than beef IMO (Never knew Shepherds pie is lamb and cottage is beef - always wondered why the two names before)

I add tomato puree and a bit of cinamon to the mince as well as garlic and onions.
Love the idea of adding mashed carrots or possinly sweet potato to the mashed potato topping - will try that

I put lots of red wine in mine and cook for about 1.5 hours.

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This is my recipe (well my sister's actually, but I've been making it so long it fees like mine).

Fry mince (beef, NOT lamb, so technically it's a cottage pie...like you care!). Add a good dash of Wourcester sauce lots of black pepper and a pinch of dried mixed herbs. Brown the mince throughly, drain off excess fat and transfer to large saucepan.

In frying pan (same one you've just used for mince) soften 1 small onion (diced) and 2 cloves garlic (crushed), 1 carrot (diced), 1/2 red pepper (diced). I sometimes add 1/2 parsnip diced, too.

Bung the veggies into the saucepan. Top up with 1&1/2 cans chopped tomatoes, some water (1/2 a cup? enough to make it watery looking), a slosh of red wine and a good squeeze of tomnat paste, plus a bay leaf. Stick lid on, bring to boil and simmer for at least an hour, and up to 2 hours.

When ready, transfer to ovenproof dish. Make a really creamy mash (lots of butter and milk) and bung on top. Mash down with fork all iver and add light sprinkling of grated mature cheddar. Stick in hot oven for 10 mins.

Done.

I know this was yesterday, but I have to tell you my version (I call it savoury pie, and you'll see why!) .. and there is never any left.

Dry fry 1/2 lb mince, add 2 sml/1 lrge onion and 3 coves of garlic, then add 2 cubed carrots, 2 cubed sticks of celery, diced cubed pepper, a portion of diced cubed swede and sometimes also turnip, are you getting the picture everything is cut into small cubes 2 diced leeks, handful of frozen peas, 1 teaspoon of basil and oregano also either a small tin of tom puree or equivalent, cook of and add small amount of gravy, add couple of dashes of worcester sauce and pepper (salt to if you want.) Just before the end of the mince I then add 3 per person of the really small tomatoes and they are quatered and the same with mushrooms. For the mash I boil and mash equal portions of sweet and normal potatoes and sometimes mash this together with creem cheese. Put together and cook until the top just starts to brown and then sprinkle a small amount of parmesan on the top.
In all honesty this is my meal I make when I have loads of little bits of veg and no idea, its quick cheep and easy especially as I only ever use 1/2lb of mince. This does four big adult sized meals.

my kids only like the mince, gravey and mash,

but they dont know that i grate about 5 or 6 carrots in with the mince and gravey.

its quite nice. but i always want more texture to it, so am thinking of adding soemthing else soon.

By the way, I have used just about every veg you can think (but they have to be cubed or small) of and they all work you just have to be aware when the best time to put it into the mix without ruining the flavour.

I have alays done this recipe just when my kids were little DP would mash or mouli the kids mince very fine while I mashed the spud mix!! The only disadvantage is the extra washing up.

i love these threads - my dd won't eat anything "all together" grumble grumble And my whole family hates mashed potatoes GRRRR!!

Worcester sauce, tomato puree, precook carrots and use that water to make the stock. Sometimes I'll add celeriac to the mash

I add carrots and peas to the mince and then put grated cheese on top of the potato

Does anyone know the National Trust recipe? Whenever we eat in their restaurants I usually get the cottage pie for the kids and they love it - unlike my own version.

HP SAUCE IS MY TRICK, EVERYONE LOVES IT AND WONDERS WHAT MY INGREDIENTS ARE!!!!

Or do a veggie version with beanfeast &/or lentils instead of mince...

Mine always involves mushrooms, carrots, onion & peppers, & a jar of tomatoey pasta sauce. Sometimes celery, courgettes. & any spare root veg go in the mash!

Chilli version is also good - use a jar of chilli con carne sauce with the meat/veggie substitute & throw in a can of kidney beans.