Deconstructed cottage pie

I don’t know what the energy situation is like in the rest of the world, but here in the UK we are facing the highest electricity bills ever. Everyone is thinking of ways to save cut costs and save energy. I’ve been making a lot of slow-cooker recipes, such as this delicious slow-cooker beef trinchado, and trying to think of ways to cook supper that don’t involve using the oven.

That’s one of the reasons why I love this recipe for a deconstructed cottage pie. It’s all made on the stovetop and you can have it cooked and on the table in less than an hour.

The mince is packed with tasty vegetables, and you can use up whatever vegetables you happen to have in the refrigerator, making it a healthy and economical meal too.

I often find with a cottage pie that’s been baked in the oven, is that the potatoes don’t crisp as much as I’d like them to. With this recipe the potatoes are shallow-fried in sunflower oil so you are guaranteed the crispiest potatoes every single time.

A plate of mince and sliced fried potatoes.

What you will need

Equipment

For making the savoury mince you will need a saute pan with a lid and for the potatoes, you will need a large frying pan.

In addition, you will need a sharp knife for chopping up the vegetables and a chopping board to protect your work surface.

Ingredients

This recipe will serve 4 people, If you want to feed more people just add extra meat and vegetables.

**For the exact measurements and full instructions for making this deconstructed cottage pie, see the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

Ingredients for deconstructed cottage pie — These are the ingredients for making deconstructed cottage pie. It does look like quite a long list, but it’s mainly vegetables.

Beef mince – get good quality beef mince with a low fat content. I normally buy mince with 5% fat – anything higher than that and you run the risk of ending up with greasy cottage pie. If you prefer you can use a mixture of half beef and half pork mince.
Potatoes – the best potatoes for this dish are firm waxy potatoes such as charlottes, roosters or Maris piper. These potatoes are going to be fried so choose a potato that you would normally use for making chips (french fries). Floury potatoes (the sort you would use for making mashed potatoes) will not crisp sufficiently.
Vegetables – this is entirely your choice, and you will need approximately 1 cup of finely chopped mixed vegetables per person. My suggestions are onions, celery, carrots, leeks, peppers (red or yellow), tomatoes and mushrooms. However, you can change this to suit whatever you have available in the refrigerator. Why not try adding sugar snap peas, baby corn, french beans, broad beans, parsnips, marrows or even chopped broccoli or cauliflower.
Frozen peas – I realise these are classed as vegetables, but I wanted to mention them separately because to my mind, they really add something special and are an essential ingredient. I love the little pops of sweetness they provide.
Garlic -minced fresh garlic, or use garlic from a jar for convenience.
Tomato puree – sometimes called tomato paste. This is highly concentrated tomatoes, not to be confused with tomato ketchup.
Worcestershire sauce – this adds a salty flavour.
Mango chutney – for a hint of sweetness. You can substitute this with any sweet chutney.
Stock – one beef stock cube dissolved in a cup of boiling water will be fine if you don’t have fresh beef stock to hand.
Salt and black pepper – for seasoning. You may find that the Worcestershire sauce and the stock add sufficient seasoning. Taste before adding salt.
Sunflower oil – for frying the potatoes.

Top tip – when cutting the vegetables cut them into very small pieces – less than half an inch. The mince is finely ground so you don’t want chunky vegetables mixed into it.

The potatoes should be cut into slices, between one-eighth to one-quarter of an inch in thickness. You can use a sharp knife for this, or you can use a mandolin if you have one. Leave the potatoes in a bowl of water once you have sliced them to prevent them from discolouring. Drain and pat them dry with paper towels before frying them.

What to do

In a nutshell, these are the steps for making deconstructed cottage pie:

prepare the vegetables and slice the potatoes
fry the vegetables that take the most time to cook
add the meat and brown
add the remaining vegetables and stock
simmer until done
make the crispy potatoes while the meat is simmering

Carrots, onions, leeks, peppers and celery in a frying pan.

Heat the sunflower oil in large saute pan and add the chopped onions, peppers, leeks, carrots, celery and garlic.

Fry on a gentle heat for about 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. Don’t allow them to brown.

To speed things up you can cover the pan with a lid.

Carrots, onions, leeks, peppers and celery being fried with minced beef.

Push the vegetables to one side and add the minced beef.

Continue to fry until the meat has browned and is nicely separated.

Break up any large clumps of mince with a spatula.

Mushrooms and tomatoes added to the meat and vegetables in a frying pan.

Once the meat has browned, add the tomatoes and mushrooms and continue to fry until the tomatoes and mushrooms release their moisture (about 3 minutes).

The mince and vegetables with the addition of stock.

Add the stock, along with the Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and mango chutney.

Cover the pan with a lid and simmer for about 40 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the stock has thickened and reduced.

The cooked meat and vegetables, showing the consistency of the stock.

There should not be too much stock in the pan, and it should have reduced to the extent that it leaves a trail when you draw a spoon through it.

If the stock has not reduced, remove the lid for the last few minutes of cooking time to allow it to evapourate.

The mince and vegetables for cottage pie with the addition of peas.

Stir in the peas and allow to heat through.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Sliced potatoes browning in a frying pan.

To make the potatoes, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and arrange the sliced potatoes in a single layer. I like to season them with a little salt at this stage, but this is optional.

Fry over a high heat, turning with a spatula, until the potatoes are browned and crispy on both sides.

You may have to do this in batches so that they brown evenly.

Deconstructed cottage pie in a serving dish with a spoon.

To serve, arrange the fried potatoes into a ring on a serving plate and pile the mince and vegetables into the middle.

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FAQ

What’s the difference between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie?

Shepherd’s pie is made with lamb (shepherd’s look after sheep) and is normally covered with mashed potatoes.
Cottage pie is made with beef and is normally covered with sliced potatoes. The potatoes are said to resemble the tiles on a cottage roof.
There is absolutely nothing to stop you from making this dish with mashed potatoes if you prefer.

Can I freeze deconstructed cottage pie?

The mince and vegetable mixture freezes well. I normally make a double batch and freeze half for another meal (another good way of saving electricity). I don’t freeze the potatoes as I like to make them fresh so that they are nice and crispy.
To freeze the mince, allow it to cool and then transfer to a Tupperware container and freeze for up to 4 months.
To use, allow the mince to defrost in the refrigerator and then reheat it in a saucepan on the stove. Make the crispy potatoes while the meat is reheating, then serve immediately.

Can I make it in advance?

You can make the meat and vegetable mixture up to three days in advance and store it in a covered container in the refrigerator.
I would be inclined to make the potatoes from fresh when I was ready to make the dish.

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Other recipe

If you like this recipe you may want to try some of my other easy suppers:

The recipe

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Deconstructed cottage pie