Name: Cottage Pie: a British dish with beef and mash
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 4 portions
Ingredients: 150 g ground beef; 0.25 pcs onion; 0.5 pcs carrot; 0.5 pcs celery; 0.5 clove garlic; 0.5 tablespoon tomato paste; 0.25 tablespoon worcestershire sauce; 75 ml beef broth; 37.5 g green peas; 0.25 teaspoon thyme; 0.25 pcs bay leaves; oil; salt; black pepper; 225 g potatoes; 15 g butter; 30 ml milk; 0.25 pinch nutmeg; 0.375 l water; 0.25 teaspoon salt; black pepper

Step by step process

Preparing the potatoes

1
Peel the potatoes, cut them into evenly sized pieces, and place them in a pot of cold salted water.
TIP:
Start potatoes in cold salted water so they heat through gradually and cook evenly all the way to the center. In boiling water, the surface softens before the inside, which is especially undesirable for mashed potatoes and salads.
2
Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes for about 18 to 20 minutes, until completely tender.

Meat filling

3
Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery, then 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.
TIP:
Cook the onion, carrot, and celery slowly over medium to low heat so they soften, become sweeter, and do not start to turn bitter. This stage creates a fuller base for sauces, soups, ragouts, and braised dishes, so do not rush it.
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 and simmer gently for about 15 minutes so it thickens slightly and the flavors come together.
8
Finally 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, let the steam evaporate briefly, then mash them with the butter, milk, and nutmeg until smooth.
TIP:
After draining, let the potatoes steam dry briefly to get rid of excess water. Then mash them with warm milk and butter. The mash will be light and fluffy, while cold liquids or overmixing can make it unnecessarily dense and gluey.
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 and spread the meat filling evenly in a baking dish.
12
Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling, smooth them with a spatula, and 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 removing the Cottage Pie from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes so the portions hold their shape better and do not spill out.
15
Serve it hot straight from the baking dish, ideally with a simple green salad or steamed peas.