Bibby's Shepherd's pie | Bibby's Kitchen | Lamb recipes | (2024)

FAQs

Why does my mash sink in cottage pie? ›

Residual moisture from the potatoes will drip into the beef below as it cooks, and too much of it will cause the potatoes to eventually sink. Aside from ridding your potatoes of excess moisture before you mash them, it also helps to cool the beef down, BBC Good Food shares.

shepherd's pie, dish of British Isles origin that makes use of vegetables and chopped meat cooked in a casserole topped with or surrounded by mashed potatoes.

The term cottage pie originated in England in the 18th Century to refer to a peasant food dish. It was a meal usually eaten by poorer people living in small cottages because the ingredients were affordable. Over time, it became more popular and was crowned cottage pie.

Shepherds is Lamb, Cottage is Beef, other than that it is pretty much the same recipe. Here's a fun fact though; the distinction is a kind of backward invention based on the names.

To stop the mash sinking into the filling, allow the meat to cool before topping with the mashed potato. Freeze in individual ovenproof dishes for an easy meal for one. For a really crisp, golden topping, flash under the grill for a few mins before serving.

Whether you added to much liquid or over-mashed your potatoes, if you wind up with a soupy mess of gloop instead of fluffy, whipped spuds, we have a solution for you: Just add instant mashed potatoes (aka potato flakes). These little flakes are essentially dehydrated potatoes.

It's called cottage pie in the U.K. because they use beef and in Ireland since the shepherds tend sheep, it's shepherd's pie. No doubt, the English put out an excellent cottage pie, but in Ireland it used to be a delicacy since the Irish couldn't afford beef they repurposed any unused veggies and meat.

The terms shepherd's pie and cottage pie have been used interchangeably since they came into use in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, although some writers insist that a shepherd's pie should contain lamb or mutton, and a cottage pie, beef.

This ultimate comfort food can be quite unhealthy, with lots of butter in the mash and pushing up your saturated fat intake. Here are a few ideas to make this classic a little healthier and just as tasty.

A classic cheese-topped cottage pie, with a dash of Heinz ketchup to make the beef extra tasty.

What is British cottage pie? ›

Cottage pie is an English casserole that's traditionally made with minced meat (usually ground beef), gravy, vegetables, and mashed potatoes.

Most workers ate their meat, potatoes and corn separately but workers of mainly Asian origins, combined their rations to create shepherd's pie, a more communal dish. The French-Canadian railway workers liked this new concoction, adopted the dish, and called it “pâté chinois”, which loosely translates to Chinese pie.

The dish originates from the British Isles, but some might argue that it is an Irish dish by origin. The name "Shepherd's Pie" was first recorded in an 1877 cookbook. In this same cookbook, it was noted that the dish was of Scottish origin. During the period between the 18th and 19th centuries, money was very tight.

Simply put, after making a weekend roast, unused meat was repurposed into a pie using affordable potatoes as a crust. This frugal, albeit clever, meal suggests the name “cottage pie” referred to the consumers of the dish—poor Irish peasants (remember, they lived in cottages).

Our classic shepherd's pie is made with seasoned beef, carrots, and corn in a rich, savory gravy all topped with mashed potatoes. This meal is made with no artificial flavors and no artificial colors.

You can use what you have on hand: Flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk are all solid options that are probably already in your pantry. Potato flour and potato starch would work as well. Stir in the thickening agent gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, until the potatoes have reached your desired consistency.

How do you keep shepherd's pie from falling apart? Make sure your casserole dish is the right size. You should also have firm mashed potatoes so it won't fall apart when you're serving. As you put the topping on, don't press too hard, using a gentle touch to smooth it out.

To slow down the shrinkage or falling of the filling, let the pie cool down in the oven gradually. When the pie crust is completely cooked and golden, turn off the oven but leave the pie in. Let it sit in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes in an off-oven.

Oven-safe weights used to hold the dough in place while it bakes. In a pie crust that bakes with the filling inside, the filling serves as the pie weight. For pre-baked crusts that bake without any filling, pie weights prevent them from bubbling up in the oven.