Cottage Pie

Ingredients

• 1oz oil or lard
• 12oz Minced beef
• 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 large onion peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp tomato paste
• 1 garlic clove peeled and minced
• 0.5oz plain flour
• 12 floz beef stock
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 0.5 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 20oz peeled potatoes (type suitable for mashing)
• 4 floz cream or full fat milk
• 3oz butter
• pinch of ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Heat the fat in a sauce pan, add the chopped carrot and onions. Cook until the onion goes translucent.
2. Add the minced beef, and cook until lighty browned, stir as it cooks to make sure the meat doesn't form lumbs.
3. Add the tomato paste, garlic and flour, stir well. Add the stock and bring to the boil to thicken the sauce. Allow to simmer slowly for 40 minutes (add more water if the sauce gets to thick), stir so it does not stick and burn. You can cover and cook it meat in the oven at 150c. Pour the cooked meat into a pie/casserole dish,(you need to leave at least 2" for the potato topping).
4. Boil the potatoes in salted water. When cooked drain and mash togetter with the butter, milk and nutmeg. Allow to cool slightly before putting it into a piping bag with a large plain nozzle.
Pipe over the cooled meat mixture in neat rows.
5. Place the dish into a prehated oven (350f)and cook for 20 minutes or until the top is browned. Make sure the centre of the dish is hot before serving.

Submitted 8/31/05.
Source:
Submitted By: Tony Robertson

Cottage Pie