English Cottage Pie

I was browsing through last month's Cooking Light magazine when I found a recipe for English Cottage Pie.  The name just conjures up cute little cottages down winding lanes, so I stopped to read through.

Now it sounded a bit like shepherd's pie, which I hate.  Hate big time.  But in reading that this was a British pub staple, I decided to give it a shot.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp butter, softened

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1 8 ounce package cremini or button mushrooms, sliced

1 pound extra lean ground beef (I used ground turkey)

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup beef broth (I used chicken)

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese, divided (I used regular cheddar)

Paprika

Preheat oven to 350*.

Combine flour and butter; stir well.  Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add onion and carrot (I also tossed in some garlic); saute 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms; saute for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove veggies from skillet.

Add beef to pan, cook 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble.

Stir in tomato paste, cook 3 minutes.

Stir in broth and pepper.  Return veggies to pan, and bring to a simmer.  Stir in parsley, thyme, and salt.  Add flour mixture and cook for 1 minute until thick, stirring constantly.

Spoon meat mixture into an 8 inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray, spread evenly.  Combine the potatoes and half the cheese, spread evenly over meat mixture.  Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with paprika.  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until bubbly. 

Since I was in British pub spirit, I had one of Paul's home brewed beers.

Course, I don't like dark beers, so I had an American light. 

I was really impressed with the English Cottage Pie.  It had excellent flavor, and Pierce and Paul liked it too.  It'll be a definite repeat!