Mains
British
BritishCottage Pie
Savoury beef mince under a golden mash crust, from a quick family bake to a slow-braised, red-wine-enriched pie topped with cheesy truffled mash.
Nut-free
Contains alcohol
Ultimate version
Slow-braised beef shin and mince in red wine and thyme, under truffled cheddar mash piped golden.
Per serving£4.45
Total cost£17.80
Time3 hr 35 min
Ingredients for 4
- Filling
- 350 g beef shin , diced
- 300 g beef mince (steak)
- 1 onion , fine dice
- 2 carrot , fine dice
- 2 celery stick , fine dice
- 200 ml dry red wine
- 400 ml fresh beef stock
- 3 thyme sprigs
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- Topping
- 1 kg Maris Piper potatoes , peeled and chunked
- 70 g butter
- 80 g aged cheddar , grated
Method
- Season and brown the beef shin in batches in a casserole, then set aside.
- Soften the onion, carrot and celery, stir in the tomato puree, then deglaze with the red wine and reduce by half.
- Return the shin, add the stock and thyme, cover and braise at 150C for 2 hours until the shin is spoon-tender.
- Lift out the shin, shred it, then return with the raw mince and simmer 20 minutes until the mince is cooked and the gravy is glossy; season.
- Boil the potatoes, drain and pass through a ricer, then beat in the butter, most of the cheddar and a little of the cooking liquor.
- Spoon the filling into a dish, pipe or spread the mash on top and finish with the remaining cheddar.
- Bake at 200C for 30 minutes until deeply golden, then rest 10 minutes before serving.
Equipment
- casserole
- potato ricer
- piping bag
- ovenproof dish
The three ways, side by side
Budget
Value mince, stock cube gravy and plain mash baked until golden.
Better
Leaner mince with mushrooms, Worcestershire sauce and a buttery cheddar-topped mash.
Ultimate
Slow-braised beef shin and mince in red wine and thyme, under truffled cheddar mash piped golden.
