Easy Cottage Pie Recipe with Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Cozy up with Cottage Pie, a comforting traditional dish that is as easy as it is delicious. Grass fed beef and veggies are seasoned to perfection, then covered in a blanket of buttermilk parmesan mashed potatoes before being baked in the oven until beautifully golden.
What is the difference between Cottage Pie & Shepherds Pie?
Cottage Pie is often confused with Shepherd’s Pie. For good reason! They are very similar with one key difference: the meat. Cottage Pie is traditionally made with ground beef while Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb. Shepherds tend to sheep, not cows. Get it? Both dishes are common in the United Kingdom and Ireland. However, Cottage Pie is more prominent in Ireland.
What do I need to make Cottage Pie?
The beauty of this recipe is you don’t need much equipment. Gather the following:
Cast iron skillet: I use a 12-inch Lodge Cast Iron skillet for this recipe.
Wooden spoons: To break up the meat and mix ingredients together.
3 qt pot: To boil the potatoes.
Potato masher: I used a traditional potato masher that once was my Norwegian great-great grandmothers. Nothing fancy.
Chef’s knife: A knife is a work horse in the kitchen. An 8-inch chef’s knife is my most used tool besides my God given hands.
Cheese grater: For the parmesan cheese.
How to make Cottage Pie.
Now that you have your equipment, let’s dive into the recipe.
BROWN THE BEEF
Cottage Pie is easy to make and full of wholesome, recognizable ingredients. It’s a peaceful meal that will bring you back to Earth. The preparation begins with butter in a hot (but not too hot) cast iron skillet. A diced onion should sizzle when it hits the skillet. The ground beef should immediately begin to brown. After a few minutes, sprinkle in salt.
For this recipe, I used grass fed, pasture raised, ground beef from All Grass Farms. I’ve been highlighting ground beef recently since it’s an affordable cut of meat that is very versatile. Here are a few of my favorites:
Sweet Garden Pasta with Carrots
MAKE THE BUTTERMILK MASHED POTATOES
While the ground beef is cooking with the onions, boil peeled and diced gold potatoes in salted water until tender. This should take around 15 minutes.
Drain the water and transfer the potatoes back into the pot. Cover with lid with the heat off. Let the potatoes steam dry for a few minutes.
Transfer the potatoes to a bowl, then add cubed butter, buttermilk, butter, salt and grated parmesan cheese. Mash it all together until smooth. Potatoes can handle a lot of salt but be mindful that another layer of cheese will be added before baking in the oven.
BACK TO THE GROUND BEEF
The ground beef should be browned by now and the onions will be softened and taking on a deeper color. Add minced garlic, diced carrots and celery along with tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and the following seasonings:
Italian seasonings: A short cut that instills a big burst of fresh, herby flavor.
Red chili flakes: A kick of heat to balance out the richness.
Fennel: Anise-like, but softens when cooked. Adds an unmistakable flavor that goes very well with the dish.
Oregano: Bright and herby.
Rosemary: A little goes a long way, especially if they are home grown dried herbs.
Cracked pepper: Salt’s best friend.
One the seasonings are fragrant, add beef broth to loosen everything up. Scrape the skillet if bits are stuck. Simmer the broth a few minutes to allow the flavors to mingle and for the liquid to reduce slightly. Next, add frozen corn and peas. No need to thaw prior.
Cover the beef mixture with the mashed potatoes. It helps to push the ground beef down a little bit to make a flatter surface. Sprinkle the top with more parmesan.
Bake in a 400F degree oven until the mashed potatoes are golden and bubbling up on the sides. It should be a beautiful sight. I caught my husband snap a photo of it when he thought I wasn’t looking. That’s always a good sign.
Some recommend waiting at least 15 minutes before serving so the potatoes harden up a bit and it makes for cleaner slices, but I say, eat! We eat when it’s cool enough to not burn our mouths.
Easy Cottage Pie Recipe with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes
Description
Cozy up with Cottage Pie, a comforting traditional dish that is as easy as it is delicious. Grass fed beef and veggies are seasoned to perfection, then covered in a blanket of buttermilk parmesan mashed potatoes before being baked in the oven until beautifully golden.
Ingredients
Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
Instructions
- In a 12 inch cast iron skillet, melt butter. Add onions and ground beef to brown.
- In the mean time, bring a 3 qt stock pot of water to a boil, salt the water (not in ingredients list)
- Boil potatoes until tender (Around 15 minutes).
- To the beef, add salt, garlic, carrots, celery, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and all seasonings. Cook a few minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and place back in pot to steam dry a few minutes. Simply cover the pot with the heat off.
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- Transfer potatoes to a bowl and add all mashed potato ingredients, half the cheese. Mash until smooth.
- Add broth to ground beef. Let reduce a bit then add frozen peas and corn. Mix well.
- Press the ground beef mixture down slightly to make a flat surface. Layer the mashed potatoes on top, aiming to cover entire surface. Cover with remaining cheese.
- Bake in the oven until potatoes are golden and bubbling on the sides, around 25-30 minutes.
- Serve right from the skillet.
