Cottage Pie With A Bit Of Zing Recipes

CLASSIC COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook lamb, carrots and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in flour, parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper until blended. Gradually add broth and wine; stir in tomato paste and brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10-15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in peas., Meanwhile, place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until tender., Preheat oven to 400°. Transfer meat mixture into a greased 9-in. deep-dish pie plate. Drain potatoes; mash with milk and butter. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, salt and pepper. Spread over meat mixture; sprinkle with remaining cheese., Place pie plate on a foil-lined baking sheet (plate will be full). Bake 20-25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• For the filling: Melt the butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the beef or meat alternative. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, breaking up the beef or meat alternative, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the lentils and sprinkle with the flour; stir to combine.
• Whisk together the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl. Whisk in the mushroom or beef broth and add to the pan, scraping any stuck-on bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, season with more salt and pepper if needed, then reduce the heat to low and simmer while you prepare the topping.
• For the topping: Cover the potatoes and garlic with a few inches of cold water into a large pot. Season well with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add the cauliflower, cover and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pot. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, roughly mash the veg. Add the milk, butter and cream cheese and mash until the desired texture is reached. Season with more salt.
• Stir the frozen veg into the filling and remove from the heat. Top with the mash, spreading it into an even layer and scatter with the grated Cheddar. Transfer the pan onto a rimmed baking sheet just in case there is any bubble over and bake for until the cheese is melted and the top is lightly golden brown and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Allow the pie to cool slightly before serving.

COTTAGE PIE WITH A BIT OF ZING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F
• In a large skillet, brown the ground beef in the olive oil.
• While you are busy with the ground beef, cook the lentils in water over high heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Test to make sure they are soft, there's not much worse then biting into a hard lentil while eating comfort food.
• While you are doing this you might as well jump ahead a bit in the ingredient list and cook up the potatoes in a separate pot of water until they are soft (do the fork test).
• In a large bowl, mix the browned ground beef with the cooked lentils.
• Add the tomatoes, carrots and white onion.
• Add the beaten eggs to the mixture.
• Add the jalapeno pepper. You can add as much or as little as you like, depending on how much zing you want in your pie.
• Add in the soy sauce, salt and pepper and paprika to taste.
• Mix everything until it's well combined.
• Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and pat the meat mixture down into the dish.
• Take the cooked potatoes and mash them together with the margarine, egg, salt and pepper. Do this quickly so the hot potatoes don't cook the egg before it has a chance to be incorporated.
• Spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture. Use your fork and make a pretty design in the mashed potatoes, and dust with sweet paprika.
• Place the pie in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes. The top should be a lovely brown and crispy color (can color be crispy?).
• This is almost a complete meal, you really just need a green vegetable or salad on the side.

LAZY COTTAGE PIE

Steps:

• Brown beef and onion together in a large skillet, drain fat.
• Place meat into a medium greased caserole dish (it doesn't matter what shape- you want to be able to have the meat spread in one layer).
• Spread the beans on top.
• Spread the unprepared soup on top of the beans using a spatula.
• Next spread the mashed potatoes over all, sealing edges.
• Sprinkle with cheese, if desired (I often omit).
• Bake, uncovered, in a preheated 350 F or 180 C oven for about 20 minutes, or until bubbling.
• NOTE:If you like, use a fork to make lines in the mashed potatoes (or, you could also pipe the mashed potatoes on top using a decorating bag with a wide star tip if you aren't feeling quite so lazy).