Cottage Pie - Northern European Recipe

Cottage Pie

🌍 Northern European, British Difficulty: ●●○○○

🍳 Equipment: Pie dish

Mrs. Beeton's recipe for baked beef — the original cottage pie. Layers of sliced cold roast beef and vegetables in gravy, sealed under a golden mashed-potato crust that is smoothed and shaped to resemble a pastry top.

Ingredients

• 2 lb of cold roast beef
• About 2 lb of mashed potatoes
• 2 small onions
• 2 small carrots
• 1 teaspoonful of powdered mixed herbs
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pint of gravy

Method

1. Make gravy — Remove the bones and brown outside parts of the meat. Simmer them slowly for at least 2 hours, then strain, season, and use as gravy.
2. Slice meat — Cut the cold roast beef into thin, small slices. Cook the vegetables and cut them into very thin slices.
3. Assemble — Spread a thin layer of mashed potato on the bottom of a pie dish. Place a few slices of meat on top, add a little carrot and onion, sprinkle on some of the herbs, and season well with salt and pepper. Repeat until the dish is full.
4. Add gravy — Pour in as much gravy as the dish will hold.
5. Top — Cover with the remaining mashed potato. Smooth and shape with a knife to resemble a pastry crust. Brush the top with beaten egg or a little milk for a golden finish.
6. Bake — Bake in a moderate oven until the surface is well browned.
7. Serve — Serve the remainder of the gravy separately in a sauceboat.

Tags: cold roast beef, mashed potato, onion, carrot, gravy · Source: Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861)