Classic Beef Cottage Pie (Printer-friendly)

Comforting British dish with savory minced beef and fluffy golden mashed potatoes.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Beef Filling

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 medium carrots, diced
04 - 2 celery stalks, diced
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1.65 lbs ground beef (minced beef)
07 - 2 tablespoons tomato paste
08 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
09 - 1.5 cups beef stock
10 - 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
11 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
12 - 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
13 - 1 bay leaf
14 - 3.5 oz frozen peas
15 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Fluffy Mash

16 - 2.6 lbs floury potatoes, peeled and cubed
17 - 1/4 cup unsalted butter
18 - 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon whole milk, warmed
19 - Salt, to taste
20 - Freshly ground white pepper, to taste
21 - 1 egg yolk (optional)

# How to Make It:

01 - Set the oven temperature to 400°F.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook for 6 to 8 minutes until softened.
03 - Incorporate minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks.
04 - Stir in tomato paste and flour; cook for 2 minutes to combine.
05 - Gradually pour in beef stock while stirring continuously. Add Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.
06 - Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove bay leaf, stir in peas, and season with salt and black pepper.
07 - Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold salted water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until tender.
08 - Drain potatoes and return to the pot. Add butter and warmed milk, mashing until smooth and fluffy. Season with salt and white pepper. Stir in egg yolk if using.
09 - Spread beef filling evenly in a large baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes on top, creating texture by roughing up the surface with a fork.
10 - Place the dish on a baking tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden and the filling bubbles at the edges.
11 - Allow the dish to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's the kind of dish that fills your kitchen with an aroma so inviting that people start hovering before dinner is even announced.
  • Once you master this, you realize it's actually forgiving and flexible, making it perfect for weeknight cooking or feeding a crowd.
  • That golden, crispy mash top paired with the savory beef filling never gets old, no matter how many times you make it.
02 -
  • Don't rush the initial softening of vegetables—this step builds the entire foundation of flavor, and skipping it or speeding it up will make your filling taste flat and one-dimensional.
  • The mash consistency matters more than you'd expect; if your potatoes are watery because you drained them poorly, or if your milk was cold, you'll end up with a dense, gluey texture instead of that cloud-like fluffiness that makes this dish special.
  • When you rough up the mash with a fork before baking, you're not just creating texture—you're creating places for the top to brown and crisp, which changes the entire eating experience.
03 -
  • The fork-roughed mash top is what transforms cottage pie from good to unforgettable—those little peaks and valleys crisp and brown in ways that smooth mash never will.
  • If your gravy seems too thin after simmering, mix a tablespoon of flour with a tablespoon of cold water to make a slurry, stir it in, and simmer for another minute; this saves you from a filling that's too runny under all that mash.