3 Cheese Beef Cottage Pie

Serves 6
60 minutes
Dinner
British

3 Cheese Beef Cottage Pie

My 3 cheese beef cottage pie is Winter dish turned up to 11 on the comfort scale. I am talking about a rich minced beef cooked with mushrooms and a touch of Marmite for that deep umami kick. Topped with a easy rustic cheddar mash, gooey mozzarella, and a final hit of parmesan for the nutty finish. I like to enjoy this with carrots and broccoli on the side.

Ingredients

Filling:

Olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 large onion, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
3 garlic, minced
500 g minced beef
250 g button mushrooms, halved
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tsp Marmite (optional but adds deep umami)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (optional but good to add)
00 ml beef stock
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt and pepper (to taste)

Mash:

1.2 kg potatoes (Maris Piper or King Edward), roughly chopped - keep skin on
75 g butter
100 ml milk
100 g mature cheddar, grated
1 tsp salt & pepper

Finish:

100 g mozzarella, torn or grated
30 g parmesan, grated

Mise en place

Prep all your veg and measure out your ingredient list.
Boil a large pot of salted water with the chopped potatoes in.
Oven on at 200c (180 fan)

Biff's Tips

Double the filling recipe and freezer it for another day or the whole recipe and make a batch of cottage pie. Work smart when working hard.
Leave the pie to rest for 20-30 minutes so it's easier to dish up with less sloppy mess when it's out the oven.
If might not like marmite but trust me, you won't taste it but you will get a deep and rich minced beef. Trust the process!
Leave the skin on the potatoes. It has lots of fibre & vitamins but also gives it a crispy texture when roasted.

Let's Dive In!

Filling:

While the potatoes are heating up, heat the olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat.
Add the onions, carrots, mushroom and garlic, salt & pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until softened.
Stir in the minced beef, breaking it up as it browns.
Stir in tomato purée, Marmite, and Worcestershire sauce, cooking for 5 minutes. Taste it.
Pour in the beef stock and thyme. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the mince. Taste it. Does it need more seasoning?

Mash:

The potatoes should be soft and ready to mash now. Drain well and roughly mash with butter, milk. When you are happy with the consistency, fold the grated cheddar and season well. Taste it.

Bake:

Add the beef into an ovenproof dish.
Spread the cheesy mash evenly over the top, roughing it up slightly with a fork for crispy edges. This is why I keep the skin on for extra crispy toppings and save the faff of peeling.
Scatter mozzarella evenly over the top.
Bake for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Remove from the oven and finish with grated parmesan while still hot for that final nutty finish.
Leave to rest for 20-30 minutes so it's easier to dish up with less sloppy mess!