Topped with creamy ricotta, this cottage pie is perfect for spring.
Ingredients
Tips:
1. Reduce the filling for depth of flavour
Let the meat mixture simmer gently until slightly thickened before topping. A well-reduced filling prevents the pie from becoming watery and ensures a rich, concentrated flavour.
2. Enrich the topping for a lighter finish
Mixing ricotta into the mash creates a lighter, creamier topping compared to traditional butter-heavy mash. The egg yolk helps bind and gives a golden finish when baked.
3. Texture the top for a golden crust
Use a fork to create ridges in the potato topping and dot with butter before baking. These peaks catch the heat, giving a beautifully crisp, golden top while keeping the inside soft and fluffy.
Serves 4
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400g minced beef, finely chopped
- 1 onions, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 leek, sliced
- 2 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 500ml stock
- 400g mash potatoes
- 1 egg yolk, optional
- 200g ricotta cheese, grated
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1 spring onion
- 2 tbsp butter, optional
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C.
- Over high heat, drizzle the oil in a large sauté pan, add the mince and sear for a 4-5 minutes until browned, breaking up any lumps with the back of a wooden spoon. Remove from the heat and pour the coloured minced into a bowl.
- Place the sauté pan back over high heat. Add the onion, leek, carrot and garlic together with the herb and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in back the minced into the sauté pan and season well with salt and pepper.
- Add the tomato puree, Worcestershire sauce, stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook gently with a lid for another 10-15 minutes until completely tender. Check the seasoning.
- Meanwhile, warm up the mash potatoes, remove from the heat and stir in the egg yolk, ricotta cheese, spring onion and parsley.
- Divide the mixture into a large gratin dish and spoon the potatoes onto the top of the meat mixture.
- Using a fork, smooth the potato topping and add some extra dices of fresh butter with some salt and pepper.
- Place the dish in the oven to roast for 20-25 minutes until bubbling hot and golden brown. Serve immediately with some crisp green vegetables.
