Cottage Pie – A cottage industry

Cottage Pie

Ok, I'm not going to patronise you all about how to make cottage pie (or shepherd's pie for those who favour the lamb version). It's one of the easiest dishes to make and despite there apparently being a traditional recipe, let's be honest, it's one of those dishes that's all the better for our own quirks. Some people swear by the addition of baked beans, while tomatoes, Marmite or a Cheddar topping to the mash are popular variations.
All I'm doing here is taking a classic British dish and trying to make it the best way I can, good enough to serve to customers of my virtual gastropub, The Albion Tavern. I have to say the result was pretty darn good. Try it with shin of beef rather than mince – it really does make a difference to taste and texture.
Most of my research was done for me, thanks to a great article by The Guardian's Felicity Cloake, which examined the recipes of top chefs and came up with the perfect cottage pie. I pretty much went with the final recipe, with a few minor changes: I think cottage pie needs a bit of tomato purée to add depth to the flavour and also enhance the colour; I've extended the initial cooking time, again to enrich the flavours and also to thicken the sauce (making the cornflour, which can give the sauce an anaemic colour, redundant); and I've added grated Cheddar to my mash topping. Sheer madness to leave this out.
Basically, this is comfort food at its best, ideal for a pre- or post-Bonfire Night party.

Ingredients:
600g shin of beef
150g butter
2 onions, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stick celery, diced
1 tsp dried thyme
350ml good beef stock
1 tbsp tomato purée
4 or 5 splashes Worcestershire sauce
1kg Maris Piper potatoes
salt and pepper
50g Cheddar cheese, grated

Method:
1. Cut the beef into chunks and pulse in a food processor until coarse.
2. Heat a knob of butter in large pan and gently fry the onions, carrots and celery until softened.
3. Stir in the thyme and add the beef. Turn up the heat and stir until browned.
4. Add the stock, purée and Worcestershire sauce, cover and simmer for one hour or until the sauce is thick. Pour into oven-proof dish and allow to cool in the fridge. This will make adding the mash easier later on.
5. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Peel the potatoes, quarter and place in a pan of cold water.
6. Bring to boil, then simmer until soft. Drain, then allow to steam dry in a colinder.
7. Gently melt the remaining butter in a pan. Mash the potato (you can use a ricer here if you want your mash to be super smooth). Add the melted butter, stir gently to form a creamy mash and season to taste.
8. Spoon on top of the meat mixture and smooth right to edges. Use a fork to make ridges in the mash and top with the grated Cheddar. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes or until the topping is crisp and golden.