We’ve made this classic dish not just faster, but easier, too – there is very little prep and we pressure cooked the meat and potatoes at the same time!
The short, gray, rainy days of fall and winter are perfectly matched with British comfort food, in my opinion.
I was born in the United Kingdom and, although my family left when I was still a baby, I remember it through my mother’s stories. Smiles and sunshine were in short supply in Great Britain, according to her. Her English neighbors called her the “happy American” because she would smile when she would run into them . Sun was such a commodity, she recalled to me once, that the minute it peeked from behind the fog mothers tossed their children into the strollers and carriages and whisked them outside to absorb every last drop.
Cottage Pie is traditionally made with left-over meat and veggies, but always topped with potatoes. It’s sensational taste and flexibility has turned it into a dish worthy of being made from scratch. Most add a dash of ketchup with the meat, and my mother did in hers. I decided to to sub the ketchup with tomato paste and a dash of apple cider vinegar. You can add frozen peas, or green beans. Got mushrooms? Toss those in, too. A leek? Replace the onion in the recipe with it. Cottage pie, is more of a process than an actual recipe.
| Pressure Cooker | Accessories | Pr. Cook Time | Pr. Level | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 L or larger | steamer basket | 10-12 min. | High(2) | Normal |
(per serving)
- Serves: 6-8
- Serving size: ⅛th
- Calories: 403.3
- TOTAL Fat: 27.5g
- TOTAL Carbs: 22.3g
- Sugar Carbs: 5g
- Sodium: 357.7mg
- Fiber Carbs: 3.4g
- Protein: 17.8g
- Cholesterol: 85.2mg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 large yellow onion,roughly diced medium
- 1½ pounds (700g) ground beef or lamb
- 2 large carrots, roughly diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt (if using salt-free stock)
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup (250ml) stock, any kind
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup (140g) frozen peas
- 1½ pounds (700g or about 4 medium) potatoes, sliced into 2" pieces
- ½ cup (125ml) milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the cooker over medium heat and add onion saute until onion is soft.
- Push the onion aside and drop in the ground meat- break it up with a spatula and brown it, about 5 minutes.
- Then, chuck in the carrots, tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce (if using), salt, pepper, thyme sprig and stock. Mix well.
- Lower the steamer basket with the sliced potatoes onto the meat.
- Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker.
Electric pressure cookers: Cook for 12 minutes at high pressure.
Stovetop pressure cookers: Turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain it and begin counting 10 minutes pressure cooking time. - When time is up, open the pressure cooker with the Normal release - release pressure through the valve.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (200C).
- Remove the steamer basket from the pressure cooker and toss a cup of frozen peas and apple cider vinegar into the pressure cooker and mix into the meat. Remove the thyme sprig and let the cooker stand uncovered while you work on the potatoes.
- Tumble the potatoes into a small mixing bowl. Pull on the corners of the potato skins (with fingers or tongs) and peel off the potato skin and discard.
- Splash the potatoes with milk and sprinkle with salt. Then mash until fluffy.
- Pour the contents of the pressure cooker into a prepared deep oven-safe dish (about 10x13" or 25x35cm).
- Using a fork, plop fork-fulls of potatoes over the meat mixture starting at the edge of the dish and working your way into the center. Then squash with the back of the fork into an even layer.
- Sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons of chopped butter and slide into the oven.
- Bake, UN-covered for 20 minutes - or until the peaks of the potatoes have browned.
- Let casserole stand for 5 minutes before serving.
See also:
- How to make perfect cottage pie, The Guardian
Am i missing something? Where does the apple cider vinegar go into the recipe?
Cheers,
April
Ooops! It goes in with the peas. I have updated the recipe.
Thank you!
Ciao,
L
Look at Step 8.
No you are not missing something. Laura is. It has been raised before.
I chuck it in with the other things in step three. Tastes fine to me. Though I have amped up the flavour a bit with some chilli sauce (Sriracha) and some extra Worcester.
This was delicious! I used what I had in the pantry, so mine was made with edamame instead of peas (I added them earlier than the peas), and I didn’t have any apple cider vinegar so I used a splash of a steak sauce we had made of anchovies and molasses instead. I also sprinkled some fresh parmesan on top of the mashed potatoes. The whole family went back for seconds, even my picky 9 year old. My husband had thirds! Wish I had taken a photo but we ate it too quickly.
Hi Laura. I used a mixture of pork and beef and what can I say but this is the best shepard’s pie I have ever had. My husband couldn’t stop raving about it. I made enough for my family and they were blown away by the taste.
Thank you again for taking the time to ensure that all your recipes are the best they can be.
Take care
Mil
5 STAR
Would it be possible to make individual single serve cups of these and freeze?
Michelle, that’s a wonderful idea! I would prepare and freeze uncovered until the potatoes have firmed-up and then cover for long-term storage.
Have fun and Happy New Year!
Ciao,
L
When you say pour into a “prepared” dish, does that mean greased? Thank you for this recipe. It will be one of the first I make in my new Instant Pot.
Cottage pie using the pressure cooker. I found it much easier and far less mess compared to the normal method i.e no splatters. I didn’t use all the ingredients and substituted the meat for vegetarian (Quorn brand) mince and steamed the potatoes without the skins. Definitely making this again.
Rather than tomato paste, I add a tin of chopped tomatoes.