Easy Irish Cottage Pie Filling Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is traditional cottage pie made of? ›

Cottage pie is an English casserole that's traditionally made with minced meat (usually ground beef), gravy, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.

I never shy away from the excuse to celebrate anything Irish. What's not to love about shepherd's pie? It's got ground beef, or lamb, with mushrooms, onion, corn, peas and carrots cooked in a delicious gravy sauce that's topped with a mashed potato crust that's baked in the oven.

The main difference between Cottage Pie and Shepherd's pie is cottage pie uses ground beef, and Shepherd's pie uses ground lamb. Both pies are cooked with vegetables and gravy and baked under a layer of mashed potatoes. To make Shepherd's pie using this recipe, simply substitute ground lamb.

To stop the mash leaking into the cottage pie filling below (and if you have time), let the meat cool before adding the potato topping. This recipe can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge well wrapped in cling film or kitchen foil.

Classic cottage pie recipe

Saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic on a medium heat until softened, then add the beef mince. Turn up the heat for 4-5 minutes and fry until the mince is browned. Meanwhile, peel, halve and boil the potatoes for 20 minutes or until soft. Drain and allow to steam for 10 minutes.

Cottage pie or Shepherd's pie is a type of savory pie. It is made with minced meat, onions, vegetables, and gravy made from the meat juices and Worcestershire sauce, (often with Bovril added to enrich the gravy), with mashed potato on top. It comes from the United Kingdom but was also popular in Ireland.

Shepherd's pie comes to us from England, and is traditionally made with lamb or mutton. Here in the states we are more of a beef eating culture than a lamb eating one, and when one is served "shepherd's pie" here, it is most often made with ground beef.

Soy sauce: Soy sauce offers a savory, umami-rich flavor that can substitute for Worcestershire sauce. Use it in equal parts or adjust to taste. Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic vinegar adds a slightly sweet and tangy flavor, similar to Worcestershire sauce. Start with a small amount and adjust to taste.

The dish often includes cheese and chicken; cod is sometimes used instead of beef. The filling is similar to that of a cottage pie, with the addition of sliced hard-boiled eggs. Similar to cottage pie; may also contain peppers.

I'd say either your mash or cottage pie sauce isn't thick enough. Do you add milk to your mashed potato? I've found that mash made with no milk added stays on top far better.

What can I use instead of tomato paste in cottage pie? ›

How to Substitute Tomato Sauce or Puree for Tomato Paste. You don't have to dash out to the store if you're out of tomato paste; tomato sauce and tomato puree are both an excellent substitute. For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce.

It's hearty, nourishing and packed with vegetables and flavour. Each serving provides 483 kcal, 32.5g protein, 51g carbohydrates (of which 16.5g sugars), 14g fat (of which 6g saturates), 12g fibre and 1.2g salt.

The right consistency for a meat sauce that mash can sit on can leave the finished pie on the dry side. So we've gone with a jug of extra gravy because, let's face it, who doesn't love extra gravy? See the full recipe for our next level cottage pie.

Residual moisture from the potatoes will drip into the beef below as it cooks, and too much of it will cause the potatoes to eventually sink. Aside from ridding your potatoes of excess moisture before you mash them, it also helps to cool the beef down, BBC Good Food shares.

Traditional in Britain, a Cottage Pie referred to a beef layer topped with slices of potato (recreating the tiles of a cottage) and a shepherds pie referred to a lamb layer with mash on top.

Mash well with the 225ml milk, 25g butter, and three-quarters of the 200g strong cheddar cheese, then season with freshly grated nutmeg and some salt and pepper. Spoon the meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.

So, if you ask nearly anyone what country shepherd's pie comes from, you're bound to get the answer, "Ireland." However, cottage pie probably originated in Scotland, in the North of the UK. Meat pies were common in this region and were topped with pastry crust before the 1700s when potatoes were introduced as a crop.