Cottage Pie

In this hearty and satisfying meal, ground beef is smothered in a delicious and thick gravy along with carrots, onions, celery and peas, then covered in creamy mashed potatoes and baked. Known for being freezer friendly, easy to make and economical, this recipe stretches its simple ingredients to feed many mouths. For variation, try using other vegetables in the base and swapping in sweet potatoes for the topping.

Makes: 6-8 servings
Time to cook: 2 hours (20 minutes Prep)

Ingredients

For the Filling

· 2 pounds ground beef

· Salt and pepper

· 2 tablespoons salted butter

· 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced, about 1 cup

· 2 celery stalks, finely chopped, about ½ cup

· 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped, about ½ cup

· 3 garlic cloves, minced

· 2 tablespoons tomato paste

· ¼ cup all-purpose flour

· 2 cups beef broth

· ½ cup dry red wine (or water)

· ½ cup frozen peas

· 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

· 4 thyme sprigs

· 2 dried bay leaves

For the Topping

· Salt

· 2½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

· ½ cup whole milk

· 5 tablespoons salted butter, melted

· ¾ cup grated Parmesan (about 1½ ounces)

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prepare the filling: Heat an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium. Add ground beef and a large pinch of salt and cook, breaking up the meat as you go, until slightly pink and just cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ground beef to a bowl and set aside. Leave about a teaspoon of fat in the pan and discard the rest.

3. To the same skillet, add butter, onion, celery and carrot and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and the carrot is just tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste, stirring to coat, about 1 minute. Add flour and stir to incorporate.

4. Add broth, red wine, peas, Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the consistency of thick gravy, 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and add extra seasoning, if needed. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs and stir in the ground beef. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

5. Make the topping: To a large saucepan, add 4 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until knife-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain the potatoes and put back into the saucepan. Add the milk, 4 tablespoons butter and ½ cup grated Parmesan. Mash with a potato masher until just creamy, avoiding over-mashing. Taste and add salt if needed.

6. Dollop the mashed potatoes on top of the beef mixture in the skillet, carefully smoothing the mashed potatoes until it fully covers the beef mixture and reaches the edge of the pan. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over the top, sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup grated Parmesan and bake in the oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Tip: If you do not have an oven-proof skillet, you can transfer beef mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish for assembly and baking.

Nutrition per serving
584 calories; 35 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 2 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 28 grams protein; 5 grams sugar; 970 milligrams sodium

Recipe by Dan Pelosi, NY Times Cooking  

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