Classic and oh-so comforting, this traditional cottage pie recipe is perfect for winter weather. Rich beef mince is topped with a velvety blanket of mashed potatoes, then baked until golden and bubbling. Serve with simple steamed vegetables for a crowd-pleasing family dinner to repeat time and time again.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
1 hr
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Cal/Serv:
420
Ingredients
For the filling
1Tbsp.
olive oil
2
onions, chopped
1
garlic clove, crushed
500g
extra-lean minced beef
2Tbsp.
tomato purée
2Tbsp.
plain flour
1Tbsp.
Worcestershire sauce
450ml
hot beef stock
2
bay leaves
For the Mash
900g
potatoes, cut into large chunks
75ml
skimmed milk
Directions
Step 1
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic softly for 10min. Add the mince to the pan and cook on a higher heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mince is broken up and well browned.
Step 2
Stir in the tomato purée and flour and cook for 1min. Add the Worcestershire sauce, stock and bay leaves. Cover, bring to the boil and season generously. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40min until the meat is tender. Remove the bay leaves and discard, then spoon the mixture into a 1.8 litre ovenproof dish.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling, salted water. Drain well, tip the potatoes back into the pan and heat for 1min to dry off. Add the skimmed milk, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mash well. Preheat the oven to 200ºC (180ºC fan oven) mark 6.
Step 4
Spoon the mash on top of the mince, spread over evenly and rough up the surface with a fork. Put the dish on a baking sheet to catch any spillages and cook for 20-25min until golden and bubbling.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
