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Delia Smith Cottage Pie with Leeks Recipe

Delia Smith Cottage Pie with Leeks Recipe

Delia Smith’s cottage pie with leeks has a savoury beef and leek filling under a golden cheddar and leek mash. A sweeter, softer take on the classic pie.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Resting Time 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6 People
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: British
Calories: 540
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • Filling:
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 500 g beef mince
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 carrots finely diced
  • 1 leek finely sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves crushed
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 400 ml beef stock
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • A few sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Leek and Cheddar Mash:
  • 1 kg floury potatoes peeled and chopped
  • 2 large leeks about 300g, thinly sliced
  • 60 g unsalted butter
  • 75 ml milk
  • 60 g mature cheddar grated
  • A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Method
 

  1. Boil the potatoes for 15–20 minutes.
  2. Brown the mince and set aside.
  3. Soften the onion, carrots and sliced leek, then add garlic.
  4. Return the mince, stir in the flour, tomato purée, stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Simmer for 25–30 minutes, season and cool slightly.
  5. Cook the 2 sliced leeks gently in 30g butter until soft and nearly dry.
  6. Steam-dry the potatoes and mash with the remaining butter, milk and nutmeg. Fold in the leeks and 20g cheddar.
  7. Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan / Gas 6). Top the filling with mash, ridge it and scatter with the remaining cheddar.
  8. Bake for 25–30 minutes until golden. Rest for 5 minutes.

Notes

Slice leeks first and rinse well to remove grit.
Cook the topping leeks until nearly dry so the mash stays fluffy.
Fold the leeks in gently at the end.
Let the filling cool slightly before topping.
Freezes well, baked or unbaked, for up to 3 months.