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My friend Margaret told me that the cottage pie I had been making for thirty years had the wrong name in my house, because I had always called it shepherd’s pie. Shepherd’s pie, she said, is made with lamb, because shepherds look after sheep. Made with beef, it is cottage pie, and in England they are very particular about it. The name goes back to the late 1700s, when potatoes became the cheap food of country families living in small cottages, and a pie of leftover meat under mashed potato was what they could afford. I have called it cottage pie ever since, and it is still the supper my husband asks for on the first cold Monday of every November.
The trouble with most homemade cottage pies is the top. The mashed potatoes sink into the filling, the gravy bubbles up through them, and you end up with a soupy dish instead of two clean layers. Margaret fixes that two ways. The filling is cooked until it is thick, not runny, and it is left to cool before the potatoes go on, so a skin forms that holds them up. Here is the full recipe, and how to keep the mash from sinking into the filling.
Why this cottage pie works
- Beef browned hard. A dark crust on the meat is where the deep flavor of the gravy comes from.
- Tomato paste and a little flour. The paste adds richness and color; the flour thickens the broth into a gravy that holds its shape.
- A thick filling, cooled first. A cooled, firm filling supports the potatoes instead of swallowing them.
- Stiff, buttery mashed potatoes. Potatoes mashed with butter and only a little milk hold ridges and turn crisp.
- An egg yolk in the mash. It helps the top brown deep gold.
- Fork ridges. Every ridge turns crisp in the oven, which is the part everybody fights over.
Ingredients
Serves 6 from a 9x13 inch or 3 quart baking dish. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the filling
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (680g)
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth (360ml)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup frozen green peas (140g)
- Salt and black pepper
For the mashed potato top
- 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (1.1kg), peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 tablespoons butter (55g)
- 1/3 cup whole milk (80ml), warmed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar (50g), optional
A spoon of soy sauce does not make the pie taste of soy; it deepens the beef gravy the way a long-simmered stock would. Use lean ground beef so the gravy is not greasy.
How to make cottage pie
Make the filling
- Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and press it flat. Let it brown without stirring for 4 minutes, then break it up and keep cooking until it is well browned all over. Spoon off any extra fat.
- Add the onion and carrots and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and golden. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it darkens. Sprinkle the flour over and stir for another minute.
- Pour in the beef broth, add the soy sauce and thyme, and scrape the bottom of the pan. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the gravy is thick and coats the meat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the frozen peas, spread the filling in the baking dish and let it cool for at least 20 minutes, until a skin forms on top.
Make the potatoes and bake
- While the filling cools, put the potatoes in a pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain well and let them steam dry in the pot for 2 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C).
- Mash the potatoes with the butter and warm milk until smooth and fairly stiff. Season with salt and pepper and beat in the egg yolk.
- Spoon the mash over the cooled filling in dollops, starting at the edges, then spread it gently to cover. Seal it right to the sides of the dish.
- Drag a fork across the top to make ridges all over. Scatter the cheddar over if you like.
- Set the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling bubbles at the edges and the ridges are golden brown and crisp.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving, so it cuts into neat portions.
Tips that make the difference
- Do not skip the cooling. Hot, runny filling is the reason the mash sinks.
- Keep the mash on the stiff side. Too much milk makes a loose top that slumps into the gravy.
- Start the potatoes at the edges and work inward; it seals in the filling and stops it bubbling up.
- For extra crisp ridges, run the dish under the broiler for 2 minutes at the end, watching it closely.
Variations
- Shepherd’s pie. Use ground lamb instead of beef, and Margaret will give it its proper name.
- Cheese top. Stir half the cheddar into the mash and scatter the rest on top.
- More vegetables. Add a diced celery stalk with the carrots, or a handful of corn with the peas.
- Make ahead. Assemble the whole pie, cover and refrigerate for up to a day; bake for 40 to 45 minutes from cold.
Storage and make-ahead
Cover leftovers and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat portions in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or in the microwave until hot in the center.
Cottage pie freezes well, baked or unbaked, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking or reheating.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie?
Cottage pie is made with beef and shepherd’s pie with lamb. Everything else, the gravy, the vegetables and the mashed potato top, is the same.
Why did my mashed potatoes sink into the filling?
The filling was too hot or too thin. Simmer the gravy until thick, then let it cool until a skin forms before the potatoes go on.
Can I use leftover mashed potatoes?
Yes. Warm them a little so they spread, and beat in the egg yolk before topping the pie.
Can I make it without peas?
Of course. Use corn or green beans, or leave the vegetables at onion and carrot.
Call it cottage pie when it is beef, make the ridges deep, and save the crispiest corner for whoever corrects your name for it.
Cottage Pie (The British Beef Pie Americans Call Shepherd's Pie)
Traditional British cottage pie: ground beef, onion, carrot and peas in a rich brown gravy under a thick layer of buttery mashed potatoes, the top ridged with a fork and baked golden and crisp.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes (1.1kg), peeled and cut into chunks
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup whole milk (80ml), warmed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar (50g), optional
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and press it flat. Let it brown without stirring for 4 minutes, then break it up and keep cooking until it is well browned all over. Spoon off any extra fat.
- Add the onion and carrots and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and golden. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it darkens. Sprinkle the flour over and stir for another minute.
- Pour in the beef broth, add the soy sauce and thyme, and scrape the bottom of the pan. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the gravy is thick and coats the meat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the frozen peas, spread the filling in the baking dish and let it cool for at least 20 minutes, until a skin forms on top.
- While the filling cools, put the potatoes in a pot of cold salted water, bring to a boil and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Drain well and let them steam dry in the pot for 2 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 400 degrees (200°C).
- Mash the potatoes with the butter and warm milk until smooth and fairly stiff. Season with salt and pepper and beat in the egg yolk.
- Spoon the mash over the cooled filling in dollops, starting at the edges, then spread it gently to cover. Seal it right to the sides of the dish.
- Drag a fork across the top to make ridges all over. Scatter the cheddar over if you like.
- Set the dish on a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the filling bubbles at the edges and the ridges are golden brown and crisp.
- Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving, so it cuts into neat portions.
