note: cottage pie is made with beef while shepherd’s pie is made with lamb/mutton.
Ingredients:
5-8 medium sized potatoes, diced into small pieces
OR
4 cups of mashed potato mix
3 medium bell peppers (green, red and yellow)
1/2 lb mixed vegetables
2 medium bulbs of onion
2 lbs ground beef or lamb (preferably lean)
2 bouillon cubes/ 2 table spoons of bouillon powder (knorr/maggi)
4 tbs butter (salted/unsalted) or vegetable oil
2 medium-sized clove of garlic
OR
2 tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp curry, thyme, pepper (you can add other spices)
salt
1 baking pan
Optional ingredients:
cheese – you can use as much as you want (i used 2 slices)
pasta sauce/ tomato sauce/ Worcestershire sauce- 4tbs or to taste
1 can of sweet corn
1/2 cup of milk
Preparation:
– dice onions into small pieces
– dice bell peppers into small pieces
– clean ground beef (not necessary sometimes)
– crush/chop garlic clove
– dice potatoes into small pieces (peeled or with skin)
preparation time: 22 minutes
Method:
making the mince mixture:
– add 2 tbs of butter to heated/hot pan
– add onions and garlic to heated butter (now liquid) and let brown a little
– add dices bell peppers and allow to cook for 2 minutes till slightly tender (you don’t want the peppers to be “limp”)
– add spices to taste; pepper, curry, thyme, salt , bouillon cube/stock etc
– add ground beef/lamb till brown/cooked (about 5 minutes)
– add sauce (optional)
– let sauteed meat and vegetables cook for an extra minute or two and set aside
making the mashed potatoes:
– place diced potatoes into a pot with cold water just covering the potatoes (you can either peel the potatoes or leave the skin on)
– add a little salt to the water and bring to boil
– reduce the heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender
– when the potatoes are cooked, drain and set aside in a mixing bowl
– mash potatoes with 2 tbs of butter and 1tsp of garlic till the potato is very creamy
– add milk if necessary and salt to taste
– fluff mashed potatoes with a fork
or follow the instructions on instant mashed potato mix box 🙂 (takes approximately 5 minutes)
baking:
– spread mince mixture evenly onto a baking pan (usually a pyrex bowl, but mine was too small, so i used an aluminum baking pan),
– add a layer sweet corn and cheese on the mince mixture (optional)
– spread mashed potatoes on the mince mixture using a spoon or fork
– sprinkle grated cheese on top (optional)
– bake for 15-20 minutes or until potato is golden (or browned to personal taste)
cooking time:
with fresh potatoes – 45 mins
with mashed potato mix – 35 mins
total time : 1- 1.5 hrs
Voila! cottage pie!
Enjoy! 
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