Cottage Pie

Cottage vs shepherd’s

The distinction between cottage pie and shepherd’s pie is simple and important: cottage pie uses beef (cow — which lives in a cottage, perhaps); shepherd’s pie uses lamb (sheep — which a shepherd tends). The use of minced lamb is considered essential for a shepherd’s pie; using beef makes it a cottage pie. Both are topped with mashed potato and baked the same way.

The mashed potato topping

The topping is as important as the filling. The potato should be mashed until completely smooth with generous butter and enough milk to make it spreadable but not runny. It must be spread onto the filling while both are hot — if the filling is cold and the mash hot, they cook unevenly. Dragging a fork across the mash surface creates ridges that brown beautifully in the oven. The surface should be golden and slightly crisped when the pie is done.

The filling

Good cottage pie filling is not watery — it should hold its shape when the pie is served, which requires cooking the mince with stock and a little flour until the sauce thickens. Tomato purée adds colour and depth; Worcestershire sauce adds savouriness. Finely diced carrots and onion are the classic vegetables; frozen peas, mushrooms, or swede can be added.

History

Cottage pie emerged in the late 18th century as a way to use leftover roast meat — the term specifically referred to using up yesterday’s joint, minced and reconstituted with gravy beneath a potato crust. The introduction of mincing machines in the Victorian era made it easier to prepare from raw meat. It has been a British household staple ever since.