Cottage Pie 農家餡餅

Cottage Pie or Shepherd's Pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potato. Both Cottage and Shepherd's pies are similar simple dishes originated in Britain in the late 18th and 19th Century respectively; intended to use up leftover meat and available ingredients. Cottage pie is usually made with beef, while shepherd's pie is made with lamb or mutton.

The original introduced cottage pie and shepherd's pie also call for a bottom layer of mashed potato.The dishes now simply consist of a layer of ground meat topped by a layer of mashed potato and baked until the mashed potato formed a semi-firm crust.

Ingredients:

• 250g-300g Minced beef
• 150g Tomatoes, diced
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 250g-300g Mixed frozen vegetable 
• 150g Mushroom 
• 2 Tbsp Garlic, crushed
• 1 Tbsp Butter

Note: You may use any type of vegetables available at home. It's a good time to clear off your fridge.

Sauce Mixture:

• 140ml Beef stock (I used mushroom broth instead)
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp Tomato ketchup (may use 1 Tbsp tomato puree)
• 1 tsp Sugar
• A pinch of salt
• Black pepper, to taste
• Mixed Dried or Fresh Herbs (I used fresh basil leaves)
• 1 - 11/2 Tbsp Flour (or 1tsp of cornflour with 1Tbsp water and add it at the end)

Mashed Potato ingredients:

• 3 Potatoes (more potatoes if you like mashed potato)
• 2 Tbsp Butter
• 3 Tbsp Milk
• Salt and pepper, to taste

You will also need a ovenproof dish. I am using a 10" or 25 cm dish. 

Method:

• Peel and cut potatoes into even sized pieces. Put in a pan of lightly salted boiling water and cook until tender. Drain. Mash potatoes until smooth. Add in milk and butter. Stir until the butter has melted and the mixture is combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Note: I steamed the potatoes for 20 minutes.

• Cut a cross on the tomato and put it in a bowl of hot water. Leave for 5-10 minutes, so the skin will be peeled off easily. Diced. Set aside.

• Heat 1/2 Tbsp of cooking oil in a large frying pan. Add crushed garlic and fry until aromatic. Add in chopped onion and fry for 3 minutes or until soften.

• Add in minced beef and butter, cook and stirring to break up mince, saute for about 1 minute. Stir in the flour until blended.

• Add in stock, sauce mixture, mixed vegetable, diced tomato. Season with salt and pepper.

• Stir in mushroom and basil leaves. 

• Bring to boil. Reduce heat, covered and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce is reduced and thicken. 

• Preheat oven to 200C.

• Spoon minced mixture into an ovenproof dish. Top with mashed potato. Draw some nice fork lines on the potato topping.

Note: You may top with a thin layer of grated cheese.

• Bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden.

• Serve immediately.

HAPPY BAKING AND COOKING!