So here we are, 2023! January to March can feel a bit of a slog after all the food, drink, presents and fun of Christmas and New Year! It can still be cold and dark, and we keep the purse strings tighter after the festive season. Sometimes, we want a quick, simple meal that offers a warm, comforting hug. A dish that is not fuss, easy on the wallet, filling and screams, “I got you mate!”

Nothing says this more than the humble cottage pie. We say humble as it was first recorded in the 18th-century when the poorer people of Britain, who tended to live in cottages, started introducing potatoes as an everyday food. Any pie made using meat and potato was called a ‘cottage pie’ and made with sliced potatoes to represent the tiles on a cottage roof. A cottage (or shepherd’s pie if you prefer lamb) was made using previously cooked, leftover meat. But, nowadays, we tend to make them using fresh mince and mashed potato. This simple dish, like many, has developed and changed over the years but has remained a home favourite, even abroad. Although historically considered a poor man’s meal and a simple dish, it does not mean it isn’t delicious. Sometimes the most simplistic dishes are more telling of a chef’s skill – never underestimate the power of a well-made cottage pie.

The beauty of this dish is it can be made in advance, stored in the fridge, and popped in the oven with no fuss. Imagine a massive serving of cottage pie, a wee side of veg (need your five a day) and a cheeky glass of Rioja or Beaujolais while sitting nice and cosy indoors, ignoring the rubbish rainy, cold weather. Bliss – sometimes it is the simple things in life!

MINCE FILLING
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 celery, finely chopped
750g / 1.5 lb beef mince (ground beef)
1 tbsp tomato paste
500ml beef stock
125ml red wine (optional)
1 beef bouillon cube, crumbled (stock cube or 1 tsp stock powder)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dried thyme (or 3 sprigs fresh thyme)
Salt & pepper

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Add onion and garlic and cook for one minute. Then add carrots and celery. Cook for three minutes or until softened and sweet.

3. Turn the heat up to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned.

4. Add tomato paste, broth, red wine (if using), bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and pepper.

5. Bring to a simmer, then turn down to medium-high heat, so it simmers rapidly. Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally until it reduces down to a gravy consistency. Taste, then add more seasoning if desired.

Topping
1.2 kg / 2.5 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm / 1″ cubes
30g butter
Grated Cheddar (optional)

1. Place prepared potatoes in cold salted water and bring to the boil, cooking for 15 minutes or until soft.

2. Drain potatoes, then return to pot and place on turned off stove. Shake briefly and allow to steam dry for 10-20 seconds. This will try out the potatoes before mashing, so no watery mash.

3. Add butter and mash until melted, then season to taste. Mash until smooth.

ASSEMBLE PIE
1. Preheat oven to 180ºC/350ºF.

2. Spread mash onto pie filling, use a fork to rough up the surface (a rougher surface means more golden crunchy bits). Sprinkle cheese on top if using.

3. Place prepared cottage pie on a tray in the centre of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden on top and bubbling on the edges. Stick a knife into the middle to ensure it is piping hot. Stand for five minutes before serving.

TOP TIPS

Freeze cottage pie for a later-in-the-week meal. Just make the cottage pie but miss out the cheese, and don’t bake. Then either keep it in the fridge for up to three days or freeze it for up to three months. Remember to take out and defrost before cooking; otherwise will take an age to cook.

The thickness of the mince mixture you place in the dish for the oven will be the thickness once baked, as the potato keeps in all the moisture, so make sure the mince is the consistency you want
for eating.

Not a fan of beef? Swap out the beef mince and stock for lamb mince and stock; add a handful of peas, and voilà you have a shepherd’s pie!