Draft: Cottage Pie

This is Alton Brown’s shepherd’s pie recipe, adapted to use ground beef instead of ground lamb. The only major change is the meat—you’ll follow the same steps and use the same quantity of meat and other filling ingredients.

I’m using frozen corn, peas, and carrots for convenience, which works perfectly in this dish.

Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 1½ pounds ground beef
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or canola oil)
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1½ cups frozen corn, peas, and carrots mix
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt (see instructions for amounts)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ teaspoon curry powder (optional)
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock or bone broth (bone broth recommended for richer flavor)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

For the Potatoes:

• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• ½ cup half-and-half
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut in cubes
• 1 large egg yolk
• ½ brick cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces), shredded and divided

Instructions

Prep first: Peel and dice the potatoes. Chop the fresh rosemary and thyme. Mince the garlic. Shred the cheese and divide in half—set aside one half for the top. Measure out all spices and ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Boil the diced potatoes in generously salted water (amount is arbitrary—just salt the water to taste) until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain and mash with warmed half-and-half and butter. Season the mashed potatoes with ½ teaspoon kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir in the egg yolk and half of the shredded cheese. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook for 5-10 minutes to caramelize. Add the frozen vegetables (corn, peas, carrots) and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the garlic.

Add the ground beef, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cook, breaking up clumps, until all the beef is browned and cooked through (about 5 minutes). Turn off the heat. Use a lid to drain off any excess fat—tip the skillet, hold the lid slightly ajar, and let the fat drain into a bowl or sink.

Turn the heat back on to medium. Stir in the curry powder (if using), rosemary, thyme, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, tomato paste, and sprinkle the flour over the meat mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the stock (or bone broth) and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Transfer the meat mixture to a Le Creuset oval baker (or a 9x13 baking dish if scaling up). Dollop and spread the mashed potato mixture evenly over the top of the filling, smoothing it with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining half of the cheese on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the topping is lightly browned and the filling is bubbling around the edges. Let it cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.