Crumpets With Cottage Pie
The perfect comfort food for those long winter evenings!
We will not be swayed from our carb on carb combos!
| Preparation: 30 mins | Serves: 18 crumpets |
| Cooking: 4 hours | Cold-buttered crumpets |
| Ingredients | Quantity (metric) | Quantity (imperial) |
|---|---|---|
| Mince | ||
| Minced beef (10% fat) | 800 g | 1.76 lb |
| White onions (peeled and finely chopped) | 300 g | 10.6 oz |
| Carrots (peeled and finely chopped) | 300 g | 10.6 oz |
| Celery stalks (washed, trimmed and finely chopped) | 300 g | 10.6 oz |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Good quality beef stock (2 cubes) | 500 ml | 16.9 floz |
| Worcestershire Sauce | 2 tbsp | 2 tbsp |
| Tomato puree | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| Tabasco Sauce | 1 tsp | 1 tsp |
| Dried thyme | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| Dried rosemary | 1 tbsp | 1 tbsp |
| Salt and pepper | Plenty | Plenty |
| Mashed potatoes | ||
| King Edward potatoes (peeled and cut into even chunks) | 750 g | 1.65 lb |
| Salted butter | 50 g | 1.76 oz |
| Milk | A splash | A splash |
| Additional salted butter (cut into knobs) | 20 g | 0.7 oz |
| Salt | Plenty | Plenty |
METHOD
- Put the olive oil in a large non-stick casserole pan and gently fry the onions, carrots and celery for about 20 minutes, until soft.
- Add the mince, turn up the heat and fry until the beef is browned off and the liquid has been absorbed, mixing well along the way. This can take about 30 minutes: be patient as the mince will be much nicer if you see this through.
- Add in the Worcestershire Sauce, tomato puree, Tabasco Sauce, thyme, rosemary and salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Then add the beef stock, bring to the boil, then simmer for about 2 hours.
- In the meantime, place the potatoes in well-salted water, bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are starting to get tender (and can easily be pierced with a knife).
- Drain the potatoes, return them to the pan, add the butter and mash until they are light and fluffy. Add a splash of mik to help this process along.
- Allow both the mince and the potatoes to cool, then place the mince in a large oven-proof dish. Add the mashed potatoes on top, run a fork across the top of the potatoes to create some ridging and distribute the knobs of butter across the potato.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and cook for 30 minutes until the potatoes are starting to brown.
- Spoon on, perhaps crack open the redcurrant jelly, which makes a delicious accompaniment, and indulge yourselves!
The mince
The mashed potatoes
The pie
The crumpets
OTHER NOTES
