Phil Vickery makes the perfect creamy mashed potato - which can be flavoured in a variety of ways - to top his cottage pie.
Ingredients
Before you start...
Try the following to flavour your mash: Add half teaspoon ground nutmeg or mace and beat well, or add 1 small onion and 2 cloves garlic crushed and sewed in butter for 15 minutes... or why not add chopped black olives and fresh chopped basil?
- 4 tbsp oil
- 3 onions
- 500 g17¾ oz beef mince
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- Pinch of dried thyme
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 300 ml10½ fl oz strong beef stock (roughly)
- Salt and pepper
For the mashed potato topping:
- 750 g26½ oz potatoes, raw weight cooked and mashed, but warm
- 150 ml5¼ fl oz hot milk (approx.)
- 50 g1¾ oz butter or olive oil
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
Method: How to make Cottage pie with perfect mash
Heat the oil and add the onion and cook for 10 minutes to slightly brown.
Add the mince and break up well.
Cook until all the moisture has evaporated and the mince starts to brown in the oil.
Once well browned, add the garlic and flour and mix well to soak up any fat and continue to cook until the flour browns well on the bottom of the pan.
Next add the tomato puree, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and enough stock to just cover the meat.
Season well with salt and pepper and cook for 20-25 minutes (gently or the flour will catch) - stir occasionally.
When the mix is fairly thick pour or spoon into a baking dish and leave to cool.
Whisk the hot milk, butter or oil and nutmeg into the mashed potatoes and season well with salt and pepper. The mash should not be too creamy, but soft.
Spoon the mash onto the cooled, set mince and fluff up with a fork.
When ready, reheat in a moderate oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and slightly crunchy.
Freezing note: Once the pie is assembled wrap it thoroughly with cling film and aluminium foil. Place in the freezer and save for up to 3 months (good idea to put the date on your container so you know when it's about to expire!). When ready to use, defrost fully in the fridge before baking. If you're in a hurry, you can cook from frozen (but will take longer to cook). First cook covered at 160C/Gas 2 for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it's soft. Then uncover and turn up the heat to 180C/Gas 4 for about 15 minutes or so to ensure the topping is golden and the pie is hot.
You can also separate the mash and the filling into two large plastic containers or freezer bags if you don't want to lose your casserole dish to the freezer! When ready to use, defrost fully in the fridge and then assemble as above and bake.
