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Delia Smith Cottage Pie Recipe

Delia Smith Cottage Pie Recipe

Delia Smith’s cottage pie recipe has a rich beef filling and a golden, crisp-ridged mash topping. Classic, comforting family food, with every tip I use.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 6 People
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 515
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Filling:
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 500 g beef mince
  • 1 large onion finely chopped
  • 2 carrots finely diced
  • 2 celery sticks finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 2 tbsp tomato purée
  • 400 ml beef stock
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 100 g frozen peas optional
  • Mash Topping:
  • 1 kg floury potatoes peeled and chopped
  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • 75 ml milk
  • 1 egg yolk optional
  • A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 50 g mature cheddar grated

Method
 

  1. Boil the potatoes for 15–20 minutes until tender.
  2. Brown the mince over high heat, then set aside.
  3. Soften the onion, carrots and celery, then add garlic.
  4. Return the mince, stir in the flour, then the tomato purée, stock, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves.
  5. Simmer for 25–30 minutes until thick. Stir in peas and season.
  6. Drain the potatoes, steam dry for 2 minutes, then mash with butter, milk, egg yolk and nutmeg.
  7. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan / Gas 6). Spoon the cooled filling into a dish and top with mash, ridged with a fork.
  8. Scatter with cheddar and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden and bubbling.
  9. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Brown the mince well and thicken the filling so the mash does not sink.
Steam the drained potatoes dry for a fluffy, not wet, mash.
Let the filling cool for 10 minutes before topping.
Drag a fork across the mash to make ridges that crisp up.
Freezes well, baked or unbaked, for up to 3 months.