Cottage Pie
I made this Serious Eats-inspired cottage pie thinking we’d have leftovers all week. I was wrong. My husband absolutely inhaled it in a couple of days, which i’ll take as a compliment.
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
3½ lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
kosher salt
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1–1½ cups heavy cream, as needed
Meat Filling
2½ lbs ground beef
2 tbsp neutral, high smoke-point oil (I like avocado)
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1½ cups good-quality chicken stock (preferably collagen-rich)
worcestershire sauce (be generous)
a splash of soy sauce
2 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
8 oz frozen peas
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For Finishing
fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
1. Make the mashed potatoes
Boil the potatoes in well-salted water until fork-tender — they should break easily when pressed, not slide off in chunks. Drain well.
In a small saucepan, gently heat the butter and cream together until warm and melted.
Mash by hand using a fork or potato masher. Do not use a stand mixer, which will make the potatoes gummy. Slowly add cream mixture into the potatoes and gently fold until smooth and fluffy. Season with salt and set aside.
2. Cook the meat filling
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stainless steel pot over high heat. Brown the beef in batches, breaking it up well and letting it develop deep color. Don’t rush this step — browning = flavor.
Add onion, carrots, celery, and garlic to the beef and cook until veggies are just beginning to soften.
Stir in tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute. Add the red wine and simmer until the liquid is almost fully evaporated, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the chicken stock, fresh thyme, bay leaf, worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. (Trust me on the last one, I know it sounds weird but it takes this to the next level.)
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mixture and stir well to incorporate.
Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally. This will likely take 35–45 minutes. You’re looking for a thick, gravy-like sauce that coats the meat and vegetables and holds its shape briefly when you drag a spoon through it.
If after 25–30 minutes the mixture still looks loose, sprinkle in an additional 1–2 teaspoons of flour, stir well, and keep cooking.
Turn the heat off and remove the bay leaf. Stir in frozen peas and season generously with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Assemble and bake
Preheat oven to 425°F
Spoon the meat filling into a baking dish, filling no more than halfway. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top. I like to use a clean fork to drag lines across the top and create a design, as seen in photo above.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until gravy is bubbling and potatoes are lightly golden. For deeper browning, briefly broil, watching closely.
Let rest at room temperature for about 15–20 minutes before serving. This is important for allowing the filling to firm back up to make for easier plating.
Just before serving, sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
Notes
Thickness comes from time first, flour second. I stuck with the original amount of flour and cooked the filling down longer, which worked beautifully. If you want to speed things up, higher heat and a little extra flour is totally fine.
Stock matters. If you’re using real, collagen-rich stock, you don’t need gelatin. If you’re using regular boxed broth, adding a small amount of gelatin can help give the filling more body.
Don’t overfill the dish. Leaving room for the potatoes keeps everything neat and prevents overflow.
You may have extra filling. This is normal and honestly not a bad problem — it reheats well or can be frozen.