Cottage pie is made with beef, and shepherd’s pie is made with lamb. Or so they would have you believe. This division between mashed potato-topped meat pies is actually only about 50 years old. Before that, recipes for shepherd’s or cottage pie could call for beef or lamb, or didn’t specify a kind of meat at all.
INGREDIENTS
Filling
- 1 lb (450 g) cooked roast beef
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon mushroom ketchup*
Mashed Potatoes
- 4 lbs (1.8 kg) gold or russet potatoes
- 3/4 cup (175 ml) cream, room temperature or warm is best
- 1/3 cup (80 g) butter, room temperature is best
- 2 tablespoons salt plus 1 teaspoon, divided
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk or cream
*This isn’t in this specific historical recipe, but it was in other recipes from the time, and it adds a delicious savory umami.
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C).
- For the filling: Mince the roast beef as finely as you can. Mix the minced beef with the ground cloves, pepper, salt, and mushroom ketchup.
- For the mashed potatoes: Peel the potatoes and chop them into small pieces, quarters or eighths, depending on the size of the potato.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the salt to a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add the potatoes and boil them uncovered for about 15 minutes, or until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Don’t cook them too long or they’ll be too mushy.
- When the potatoes are cooked, drain them and let them sit in the colander for 10 minutes so they can fully drain and some of the moisture evaporates.
- Put the drained potatoes back into the pot and mash them with a masher, or run the potatoes through a ricer.
- Mix in half of the cream, all of the butter, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt. Add more cream a little at a time until you get a nice stiff mashed potato. You may not need all of the cream.
- To assemble: Lay the meat down in an even layer in a 9 inch (23 cm) pie dish, or divide it between smaller individual-sized dishes like I did. Pack the meat down into the dish, then spread mashed potatoes over it. You want there to be about 1/3 meat to 2/3 potato. Make the mashed potatoes a little taller in the center of the dish and smooth.
- In a small bowl, beat the egg and mix it with the 2 tablespoons of milk or cream. Brush this mixture over the mashed potatoes, then use a fork to create some decorative lines in the mashed potatoes.
- Place the pie(s) onto a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake for about 20 minutes or until they’re nicely browned.
- Serve them forth.
