Happy April!! By request :) I have a cottage pie recipe for you today – an old English classic,
and perfect for Easter weekend!!
Interestingly, a cottage pie is with beef,
but the same recipe with lamb is shepherd’s pie! So if you’d prefer to make a shepherd’s
pie for Easter, you can follow the same recipe!
The beauty of this dish is that veggie
wise, you can add pretty much anything you have in the fridge! I’m doing the
recipe the way I have done it before, but feel free to improvise! Making and
baking will take about 1 hour.
**Apparently I didn't take any pictures of this, so I'll do it when I make it this week and add them in for you! Oops!!**
What you’ll need to make a dish for 3/4 people:
- · 3 medium/large potatoes, quartered
- · Milk and butter to taste
- · Mince meat
- · 1 large chopped brown onion
- · 4 large carrots, chopped
- · 1 can of green beans
- · 1 clove garlic, chopped finely
- · 1 pint of beef stock
- · 1 tbsp all purpose flour
- · 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
- · A touch of red wine if you have some open (I know I usually do! ;D )
2. In a large, deep pan, fry the
onion, and carrot for 5 minutes, or until soft. For the last minute, add
garlic. Put in the beef with one quarter of the stock, and cook, stirring
constantly until the meat is browned. Add the remaining stock with the green
beans and the red wine, season with salt and pepper and leave covered to cook
for 10 minutes.
3. 3. Put the flour into the pan, and
stir until it has evenly dissolved and sauce has thickened slightly (approx. 5
minutes)
4. 4. Place the mixture into an
ovenproof dish (mine is 7’’ x 5’’ I believe) and cover with the mashed potato.
Sprinkle cheese on the top, and bake for 30 – 35 minutes until the top is brown
and crisp. Serve hot.
So there you have it! Simple, delicious,
hearty, and you can make it as healthy as you want with more veggies!! And some
say it tastes even better as leftovers, so it’s a great mid-week dish.
Please let me know how yours turned out,
and I’ll post a picture of yours on this blog!
Bon appétit,
Laura xo
Hola Chicas! Love the cottage pie recipe. What's not to love, right? It's PIE!
ReplyDeleteHere is what I made for Easter dinner. (this is for cooking on a gas grill)I grilled a Turkey Breast marinated in Orange juice and maple syrup. I tweeted you a picture (my relatives have dull palates and they only like dark meat so I cut off those offending parts and roasted them in the oven for the un-inspired!)
Real simple to do just juice a couple of fresh oranges or if you have a glass or two of juice left from breakfast, slowly simmer until reduced by half in a sauce pan and add about a half to a third of a cup of good Maple syrup. Not the fake stuff please.Keep stirring. If you can't find any, Lyle's golden will be fine. Fresh oranges do help with the cooking process because you will need to stuff the body cavity with an orange and an onion. Stud the onion with cloves for more flavor(you may omit this if you don't like cloves) Okay now for the bird. Use Whole birds please and you may use chicken if necessary. Get a 7-8 pound Turkey, take it out of the package and clean him up with cold water then set him out to dry and achieve room temperature. Couple of hours. Stuff the orange and the onion inside the neck flap and body cavity, secure with toothpicks or cooking string. Then heat up your grill to high. Cook the bird indirectly, Breast side down,(one burner on, one off)and maintain a temp of 350 degrees. Don't open the lid of the grill and let him cook. Flip the bird over(please use oven mitts or a friend with tongs), and baste him with the orange and maple reduction. Close the lid and cook for another hour or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 160 degrees F. (if oven cooking 350F for approx. 90 minutes to 2 hours)
The most important tip I can give you is this, please resist the temptation to poke or stab meat as it cooks, you want the juices to stay inside and when it is finished cooking (this will apply to all cuts of meat) please let the meat rest, covered with aluminium foil. Resting the meat for at LEAST 10 to 15 minutes allows the juices to redistribute through the meat and it will be juicy and tender!
Now, if you cook an entire bird you can also check for doneness by wiggling the leg joint. if it moves loosely it is done and if the juices run clear.If it appears to get too dark too quickly, (in the oven or on the grill), tent it with foil.
Maple and orange pair nicely with Turkey and it comes out a lovely golden brown. For Chicken I like to use lemons and fresh rosemary and garlic cloves, which is even easier because you juice the lemons all over the chicken and stuff the inside with the lemon halves, unpeeled garlic cloves,and fresh rosemary. As much as you like. Then cook for 45 minutes at 450 F breast side down, then turn the oven down to 350F flip the bird over and cook for another 10 minutes. Tent with foil if it browns too quickly. Let the bird rest in the oven for at least 15 minutes or longer (while you make eveything else) then carve. It always comes out juicy and tender!
Mange tout! Disclaimer:Oven temps may vary, and I use electric which is sometimes hotter than a gas oven. When in doubt, use an oven thermometer.