Cottage Pie Recipe

Directions

Cottage (Sherphard's) Pie with Minced Beef Recipe

Cottage pie refers to an English meat pie made with minced beef and a crust made from mashed potato. A variation on this dish using minced lamb is generally known as "Shepherd's Pie." Although, the distinction between the two may well be an example of folk etymology, based solely on the fact that shepherds clearly herd sheep, not cattle.

Ingredients:
1 lb Beef - ground
5 oz onion - chopped
3 tablespoons rice bran oil
3 cloves hard-neck garlic - minced
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1 1/4 cup beef stock
1 teaspoon flour or corn starch
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
thyme, salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
2 lb potatoes
approx 1 cup whole milk
3 oz butter

Directions:
1. Cook onion in the rice bran oil in sauce pan over medium heat until soft. Add the beef and garlic and stir well. Add corn and raise the heat to medium high and saute until meat browns. Pour off surplus fat.

2. Add a few tablespoons of beef stock and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Sprinkle in flour or cornstarch, stir again. Add the remaining beef stock and vinegar and simmer gently until rich sauce develops, adding thyme, salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.

3. Meanwhile scrub, peel and cube potatoes. Boil until tender. Drain. Mash cooked potatoes with milk and butter and add salt to taste.

4. Put the meat into a shallow baking dish. Spread the mashed potato on top. Brown under the broiler at a moderate heat, or at the top of a hot oven.

serves 4-6