A good traditional cottage pie (not to be confused with a traditional shepherd’s pie) was, is and always will be one of my favourite dinners. Ugh, just the smell of it sends me back to being a young piglet, staring into the oven waiting to devour it.
Traditional Cottage Pie
Still to this day, the ingredients for cottage pie make it in my weekly shopping basket. It’s just one of those easy rotation dinners that you know is going to leave everyone hobbling away from the table because they’re so full. Which is usually my aim with anything I make, but cottage pie is the perfect dish to do that. First things first, before we get into anything, let’s address the elephant in the room:
What is the difference between shepherds pie and cottage pie?
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. In recent times the difference has become slightly blurred, where cottage and shepherds just simply distinguish whether the meat is beef or lamb, regardless of the type of potato on top. Now through personal experience, those in the US don’t use the term ‘cottage pie’ and refer to it as a shepherds pie. And now you’re more confused than before right? 😂 Essentially Shepherd’s Pie = lamb and Cottage pie = Beef.
Cottage Pie Layers
Tips for making the best Cottage Pie recipe in the world
Yes, you’re reading this right, this truly is the best cottage pie in the world. Accurately measured of course, not just me blowing my own trumpet 🤣
‘So what makes your mum’s cottage pie so damn special ey!?’
Very valid question by this point 😂 Alongside the secret weapon of the gravy granules, here are a couple more tips that were passed down from Mum:
Depth of flavour – Alongside the gravy granules, a good helping of Worcestershire sauce and red wine gives this cottage pie a delicious depth of flavour, enhancing those gorgeous beefy flavours. Time – ‘Is it ready yet?’ ‘how much longer?’ ‘I’m hungry!’. Yep, you’re gonna hear a lot of that, but boy it’ll be worth it. Remember, there’s no such thing as a quick cottage pie! Allowing the beef to simmer will help marry the flavours together and tenderise the beef.
How do I stop the mash from sinking into the beef?
Firstly ensure your potatoes dry out a little before you mash them. Let some of that moisture escape, otherwise it’ll sink into the beef whilst cooking. The other tip is to let the beef layer cool before you top it with mash. Because no steam can escape when it’s baking (as it’s hidden under the mash) whatever the thickness of the beef before the oven will be the same on the other end. So, to avoid a watery base and in turn a sloppy mess, let the mince thicken before you top it with mash.
How do you thicken cottage pie?
Here’s the secret weapon to this recipe – Gravy Granules. Not only will gravy granules help along with the thickening, but they’re going to turn the mince layer into a beautifully rich gravy as well. Win-win! If you can’t get your hands on some quality beef gravy granules (I use Bisto), you can stir flour into the beef before you add the stock. This will help thicken the sauce, you just lose out on that extra layer of flavour.
Serving Cottage Pie
What do you serve with cottage pie?
A lot of the time I’ll serve it as it is. But more often than not, if I’m doing a side dish it’ll be one or a couple of these:
Green Beans Broccolini Smashed Sprouts Roasted Parsnips
Can I freeze cottage pie?
Absolutely! You can either freeze it before or after baking. I’ve added more on this in the recipe card. Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this cottage pie shall we?! Also be sure to check out my Cottage Pie Baked Potatoes!
How to make a Traditional Cottage Pie (Full Recipe & Video)
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