Cottage Pie

By carvalhohm2

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled & diced
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. Italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried parsley)
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 1 small can (6 oz.) tomato paste
• salt & pepper
• 2 potatoes, peeled & diced
• 1-2 cups cauliflower, cut into pieces about the same size as the potatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tbsp. sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar (or colby-jack) cheese
• milk, as needed
• green beans, mashed (optional)

Details

Adapted from itsnotjustabouttherecipe.com

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Make the potato topping: in a large saucepan filled with cold water, add a generous amount of salt (think salt water). Add the potatoes, cauliflower, and garlic. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are fork-tender (they'll float at this point). Drain and return the vegetables to the saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and heat until much of the water has been removed. The potatoes will develop a "dry" look - you'll know it when you see it. I shake the pan a few times during this step to keep the vegetables from sticking. Mash the vegetables and add the 1/4 cup butter and 2 tbsp. sour cream. Mash the vegetables until they are smooth. If you really want them to be smooth, whip them with a hand mixer. Add the shredded cheese and stir to mix well. Add milk, as needed, until desired consistency is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

While the vegetables are cooking, make the meat filling: in a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, onion, and carrots until the beef is no longer pink and the onion begins to brown. Mix in the flour, cinnamon, Italian seasoning, and parsley. Stir in the beef broth and tomato paste. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to your taste. Lower heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until almost all the liquid has been absorbed, stirring occasionally. Spoon the meat mixture into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate or 2 quart casserole dish. Top with the potato-cauliflower-cheese mixture.

If you like, mash up about 1/2 (14.5 oz) can of green beans and, using a cookie cutter (I used a shamrock shape for St. Patrick's Day) fill with the mashed beans. Be sure to place the cookie cutter in the meat mixture before adding the potato mixture around the cookie cutter.