Cottage Pie

“In college, my best friend Alvin, received a cookbook from his roommates for his birthday. One night they decided to cook something from it and invite a few people over. While out buying the ingredients, Safeway had carrots on sale: 10 pounds for $10. Well, instead of buying 1 pound for $1, they bought the entire 10 pounds! At the end of the night they still had 10 pounds minus 2 carrots left and started asking what other things they could make with the leftover carrots. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a carrot cake recipe in my arsenal at the time. They did a great job on this recipe that night though! I was very proud.” – April Ferre

Cottage Pie

Course: Main Courses – Beef, Main Courses – Casseroles
Cuisine: English

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 2 Onions Chopped
  • 2 Carrots Diced
  • 1 Stalk Celery Diced
  • 2 Pounds Ground Beef
  • 2 Tablespoons Flour
  • 1 1/2 Cup Beef Stock
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 2 Teaspoons Italian Parsley Chopped
  • 5 Medium Potatoes Diced
  • 1 Pound Parsnips Diced
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • About 1/2 Cup Milk
  • Salt If Needed

Instructions

  • Heat oil in large fry pan. Over medium heat, cook onion, carrot and celery until softened and lightly colored, stirring occasionally. Add ground beef and cook through.
  • Stir in flour and cook a few minutes longer. Add beef stock, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, tomato paste and bay leaves. Turn heat down and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Remove bay leaves and add parsley.
  • For topping, boil potatoes and parsnips in salted water until cooked through. Drain. Return to pan and mash with butter and milk, adding salt if necessary.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease and oven proof dish. Spoon filling into dish and spread topping over, fluffing with a fork. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Serves 6 to 8.

2003 Recipe – Alvin Wong