Preparation time
Less than 30 mins
Cooking time
Over 2 hours
Serves
Serves 2 – 3
James Martin goes back to basics with a traditional homemade cottage pie. Perfect comfort food for a winter evening.
James Martin recipes
from Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
- For the mince
-
- 50ml/2fl oz olive oil
- 650g/1lb 7oz minced beef
- 3-4 banana shallots or 7-8 small round shallots, finely chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 150ml/5fl oz red wine
- 400ml/14fl oz beef stock
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Worcestershire sauce, to taste
- For the mash
-
- 900g/2lb King Edward potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 115g/4oz butter
- 125ml/4½fl oz double cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- To serve
-
- 150g/5½oz frozen peas
- 50g/1¾oz butter
Preparation method
- Heat a large frying pan until smoking, add half of the olive oil and fry the minced beef, in batches, for 4-5 minutes, or until browned all over.
- Heat a separate pan over a gentle heat, add the remaining olive oil and fry the shallots and thyme for 2-3 minutes, or until just softened. Stir in the tomato purée and flour and cook for a further minute, then add the cooked beef.
- Deglaze the frying pan used to cook the beef with the red wine, scrapingup any caramelised bits with a wooden spoon. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the wine has reduced by half, then pour the wine into the pan with the beef.
- Place the mince mixture into a baking dish and pipe the mash over the top. Place under the grill for 8-10 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown. Serve spooned onto serving plates.
- Place the peas in water in a small saucepan and cook for 3-4 minutes, drain and add the butter.
- To serve, serve a spoonful of the cottage pie on plates with the peas alongside.
Required techniques
