Name: Cottage pie with beef
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 600 g ground beef; 1 pc onion; 2 pcs carrot; 2 pcs celery; 2 cloves garlic; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce; 300 ml beef broth; 150 g green peas; 1 teaspoon thyme; 1 pc bay leaves; oil; salt; black pepper; 900 g potatoes; 60 g butter; 120 ml milk; 1 pinch nutmeg; 1.5 l water; 1 teaspoon salt; black pepper

Step by step process

Preparing the potatoes

1
To make this cottage pie, peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized pieces. Place them in a pot of cold salted water.
2
Bring the water to a boil. Cook the potatoes for about 18 to 20 minutes, until completely tender.

Meat filling

3
Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
4
Heat the oil in a pan. Saute the vegetables for 6 to 8 minutes until softened, then add the garlic.
5
Add the ground beef and cook, stirring constantly, until it breaks up and loses its pink color.
6
Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook briefly until fragrant, then pour in the stock.
7
Season the filling with salt and pepper. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes so it thickens slightly and the flavors come together.
8
Add the peas, stir, and after two minutes remove the pan from the heat and discard the bay leaf.

Potato topping

9
Drain the cooked potatoes and let the steam evaporate briefly. Mash them with the butter, milk, and nutmeg until smooth.
10
Season the mashed potatoes with salt and pepper so they are well flavored, yet still delicate and creamy.

Assembling and baking

11
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Spread the meat filling evenly in a baking dish.
12
Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling and smooth them with a spatula. Lightly rough up the surface with a fork so it bakes up nicely.
13
Bake for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden and the filling begins to bubble gently around the edges.

Serving

14
After baking, let the cottage pie rest for 10 minutes. The portions then hold their shape and do not spill out.
15
Serve it hot straight from the baking dish, ideally with a simple green salad or steamed peas.