Recipe

Embellishment-free Cottage Pie

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Photo by The Internet Cooking Princess

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Beef Stew
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The Internet Cooking Princess's Notes: I love cottage pie, or if I'm having ground lamb instead of ground beef, then I love shepherd's pie. It's one of my favorite comfort foods. {Seriously, how do you beat a meat-in-potatoes-all...
I love cottage pie, or if I'm having ground lamb instead of ground beef, then I love shepherd's pie. It's one of my favorite comfort foods. {Seriously, how do you beat a meat-in-potatoes-all-in-one-dish meal?} Almost every cottage pie I've had has some sort of fancy schmancy fork prints or piping to make it look more glamorous than it really is. Well, I'm here to take a stand against that sort of frivolity. There is no room for gourmet snobbery or foodie embellishments in my cottage pie - just a plain old, down home casserole of goodness that you can dig into without worrying about the presentation. Who's with me?

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Serves four to six

1 lb. Ground beef Ask a question about this ingredient

1 Large yellow onion, chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

4 Cloves garlic, minced Ask a question about this ingredient

4 Carrots, peeled and chopped Ask a question about this ingredient

1 c. Frozen peas Ask a question about this ingredient

1 Can chopped tomatoes Ask a question about this ingredient

1/3 c. Tomato paste Ask a question about this ingredient

1 c. Beef stock Ask a question about this ingredient

1 T. Balsamic vinegar Ask a question about this ingredient

2 T. Red wine vinegar Ask a question about this ingredient

1 T. Dijon mustard Ask a question about this ingredient

2 Bay leaves Ask a question about this ingredient

3 T. Herbs de provence Ask a question about this ingredient

3 Large potatoes, peeled and quartered Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 c. Sour cream or heavy whipping cream Ask a question about this ingredient

1 c. Good grated parmesan Ask a question about this ingredient

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 - 25 minutes.
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Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, brown the ground beef on medium high heat. Then, add the onions, carrots, and garlic, letting them cooking the fat until the onions are translucent. Next, add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, peas, vinegar {both}, herbs, bay leaves, and mustard. Stir the ingredients together, and then reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Make sure you put the lid on the pot while the ingredients are cooking.
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Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot. Add the butter, sour cream, and half a cup of the Parmesan. Mash together until very smooth.
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Once the ingredients in the Dutch oven are cooked and tender, season with a few hefty pinches of salt and pepper as needed. Remove the bay leaves, and then pour the ingredients into a casserole dish. Next, take the mash potatoes and smooth them over the meat and vegetables in small sections. Once the entire dish is covered with mash potatoes, sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese on top.
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Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. If the top has not developed a golden, Parmesan crust, turn on the broiler for a minute or two until you get the coloring you're looking for. Serve in large bowls with a few more sprinkles of grated Parmesan.
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