Gorete's Cottage Pie


Ingredients
Meat1 tablespoon of olive oil2 onions, finely chopped3 garlic cloves, finely chopped2 lbs of ground veal (or lean beef)2 carrots, minced1⁄2 red pepper, minced1⁄2 celery rib, minced1⁄2 teaspoon of paprika1 teaspoon of garlic powder1 teaspoon of salt (or to taste)3 or 4 dashes of Worcestershire sauceGround pepper (to taste)3 tablespoons of flour (or more if needed)1 cup of stock (chicken or beef)1⁄2 cup of red wineMashed Potatoes8 cups of potatoes, diced (I use 5 large russet potatoes)2 tablespoons of butter1⁄4 cup of milk (or cream)Salt and pepper (to taste)Vegetables1 (12 ounce) can of corn niblets1 (14 ounce) can of peas
Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C or 350°F.
  2. Heat the oil in large frying pan and saute the onions until softened, then add the garlic and heat for 2 minutes.
  3. Raise the heat, add the ground beef and cook quickly to brown, stirring occasionally.
  4. Once browned, add the carrots, celery, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, worchestershire sauce, salt & pepper and cook several minutes.
  5. Stir in the flour, then add the stock and wine and heat until simmering and thickened.
  6. Transfer the meat to a large casserole dish and cook in the oven for about 1 hour.
  7. Check the consistency from time to time and add a little more stock or wine if required. 
  8. The meat mixture should be quite thick but not dry.
  9. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if required.
  10. While meat is cooking, make the mashed potatoes.
  11. Cook the peeled potatoes in salted water for approximately 15 - 20 min or until tender.
  12. Drain well and mash with a potato masher until smooth.
  13. Add the butter and milk (if the mixture is too dry, add milk a little at a time).
  14. On top of the meat mixture, spread the peas on half of the casserole and the corn on the other half (or whichever vegetables you prefer).
  15. Pipe or spread the potatoes on top of the vegetables.
  16. Increase the oven heat to 205°C or 400°F and cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until till golden brown.
  17. You can choose to finish it off under the broiler for a few minutes for a really crisp brown topping.
Recipe & Photo Credit: Chef Gorete, food.com
Preparation timen/a
Cooking Timen/a
Ready In1 h 50 min
Level of DifficultyEasy
Servings6
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