Hello everybody, it is John, welcome to our recipe site. Today, we’re going to prepare a special dish, cottage pie. One of my favorites. This time, I am going to make it a bit tasty. This will be really delicious.

Cottage Pie is one of the most popular of recent trending foods in the world. It is appreciated by millions every day. It’s simple, it’s fast, it tastes yummy. They’re nice and they look fantastic. Cottage Pie is something that I’ve loved my whole life.

To get started with this recipe, we must first prepare a few ingredients. You can have cottage pie using 27 ingredients and 16 steps. Here is how you can achieve it.

The ingredients needed to make Cottage Pie:

1. Prepare Filling
2. Get ground beef (80/20)
3. Prepare bacon (ground/minced) (optional)
4. Make ready medium onion (diced)
5. Take garlic (minced)
6. Get medium carrots (diced)
7. Take celery stalks (diced)
8. Prepare green beans (chopped 2 in long)
9. Make ready package of mushrooms (diced)
10. Take can of tomato paste
11. Take flour
12. Prepare red wine (optional)
13. Take beef or vegetable broth
14. Take Beef Better than Bullion (optional)
15. Make ready Seasoning
16. Take salt and pepper
17. Get cayenne pepper
18. Prepare paprika
19. Get fresh chopped thyme
20. Make ready bay leaves (optional)
21. Take Mashed Potatoes
22. Make ready large russet potatoes
23. Make ready cream or heavy cream
24. Get parmesan cheese (shaved)
25. Prepare butter
26. Make ready sour cream (Optional, but let’s be honest, preferred)
27. Get salt and pepper

Instructions to make Cottage Pie:

1. Begin by browning the meat over medium heat. I like to add some ground bacon to add a little extra fat content and enhance the overall flavor. Remove the browned meat and set to the side.
2. Add the diced onions and minced garlic to the pan you browned the meat in. Allow the onions to soften and your kitchen to fill with the best aroma known to chef-kind.
3. Once your onions have softened add the diced celery, carrots and mushrooms and two tablespoons of butter. Season with fresh chopped thyme, salt, and pepper to taste.
4. As the veggies cook mix in the tomato paste. After a couple minutes add the green beans. Veggies should soften slightly, however we do want a crunch to them.
5. Mix in the flour and stir to coat. Allow to cook for a minute before adding the wine. Slowly begin adding broth to the mixture. A gravy-like texture will form and bind the meat and veggies. If you would like, add a tsp of Better than Bouillon to the mixture and stir. Add cayenne pepper (more if you like spice),paprika, and bay leaves. Reduce the heat and allow the mixture to simmer for 5 min, stirring occasionally.
6. Peel and chop the potatoes. Add the chopped potatoes to a pot of salted water and boil for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender preferably as the filling begins to cook.
7. Drain the potatoes and add butter, sour cream, and cheese. Begin to mash the potatoes using a masher, whisk, immersion blender, or wooden spoon. Slowly add cream while mashing to smoothen the mixture.
8. Once smooth season to taste with salt and pepper.
9. *Note: In my opinion mashed potatoes are an incredibly personal thing. Everyone’s recipe is different and everyone has their own potato preferences. Make whatever mash is going to make you happiest but my mash will always be buttery and creamy with a little tang from the sour cream and will ALWAYS have some lumps. Life is better lumpy.
10. Remove components from heat and remove bay leaves from the filling. Preheat the oven to 410°F.
11. This recipe will make two medium size pies or one very large pie. Fill your baking dish ⅔ full with filling.
12. Pipe or spoon the mashed potatoes into an even layer over the filling. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Bake for 20-25 min or until golden brown. Broil for 2-3 minutes if you desire a crispier/darker finish on the potatoes.
13. Serve and enjoy!
14. This recipe is incredibly easy to turn vegetarian or vegan friendly. Add additional mushrooms or root vegetables to the filling and sub any dairy components for your favorite dairy substitutes.
15. I like crunchy veggies to compliment the rich and creamy texture of the potatoes. If a little crunch isn’t your thing, allow the veggies to saute for slightly more time prior to adding the flour and broth and then allow to simmer for about 10 min. Make sure you are stirring and adding more broth should the mixture become too thick.
16. Seasoning is a preference. Like things spicier? Add more cayenne pepper or some hot sauce into the mixture. Need a garnish? Chop some parsley or chives and sprinkle over a steaming portion of pie. Think I’m missing something? Email me!
17. Ready to serve and ENJOY!

So that is going to wrap this up for this special food cottage pie recipe. Thank you very much for your time. I am sure that you can make this at home. There is gonna be interesting food at home recipes coming up. Remember to save this page in your browser, and share it to your loved ones, friends and colleague. Thanks again for reading. Go on get cooking!