Cottage Pie Baked Potatoes (2024)

5 from 30 votes

Course: Dinner / Main Course

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Author: Chris Collins

Potatoes/Topping

• ▢ 6 large Baking Potatoes (approx 350g/12oz EACH)
• ▢ 4oz / 120g freshly grated Cheddar
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 60ml Milk or Cream
• ▢ 2 heaped tbsp Butter
• ▢ 1/8 tsp Ground Nutmeg
• ▢ Salt & Pepper, as needed
• ▢ Olive Oil, as needed

Filling

• ▢ 1lb / 500g Ground Beef Mince (10-12% works great)
• ▢ 1.25 cups / 300ml Beef Stock
• ▢ 1/4 cup / 60ml Red Wine (sub more stock)
• ▢ 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• ▢ 1 heaped tbsp Beef Gravy Granules (see notes)
• ▢ 1 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
• ▢ 1 medium Onion, finely diced
• ▢ 1 medium Carrot, finely diced
• ▢ 2.5oz / 75g Mushrooms, finely diced
• ▢ 1 clove Garlic, finely diced
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Dried Rosemary
• ▢ Salt & Pepper, as needed
• ▢ Olive Oil, as needed

• Stab the potatoes a few times all over, then coat in a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Pop in the oven at 356F/180C for 80mins, or until deep golden, crispy and knife tender.

• Once cool enough to handle, slice off the top (3/4 of the way up) and scoop out most of the centre into a large bowl, leaving a thin wall to keep the potato sturdy. Mash the potato with butter, milk, nutmeg, half of the cheese and plenty of salt & pepper to taste (I typically use 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper).

• Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium heat add a drizzle of oil alongside the carrot, onion, garlic and mushrooms. Fry until soft and starting to pick up colour, then add in the beef and fry until brown all the way through, breaking up with your wooden spoon as you go.

• Stir in 1 tbsp tomato puree and fry for a couple of mins, then pour in the wine. Simmer for a few mins to allow the beef to soak it up, then pour in the beef stock. Stir in rosemary, thyme, gravy granules, Worcestershire sauce and salt & pepper (to taste). Reduce heat to low and gently simmer for around 20-25mins to thicken the sauce.

• Spoon the beef into the potatoes, then top with a few heaped tbsp of potato. You should be left with 1 cup of mash, save it in the fridge for a rainy day. Top potatoes with cheese, then place back in the oven at 220C/430F for around 12-15mins, or until golden & bubbly!

a) Beef - I find 10-12% fat works great. That way you get some nice fatty flavour, but the beef doesn't end up too greasy. If you've only got high-fat beef (i.e. 20%) I recommend draining away most of the fat after it's fried. You can also use lamb for this recipe to make Shepherd's Pie Baked Potatoes!

b) Gravy Granules - These are used to thicken the sauce and add flavour. I highly recommend using a trusted brand such as Bisto. If you're struggling to find gravy granules, I recommend stirring in 1 tbsp flour into the mince after the tomato puree and before the wine. Fry it off for a few mins to get rid of that floury taste, then gradually pour in the liquid to avoid lumps.

c) Red Wine - This adds a gorgeous depth of flavour to the beef. Any dry red wine will do the trick (don't splash out on something expensive). Most, if not all of the alcohol will burn off, but if you don't want to use it just sub with more stock.

d) Calories - Per potato assuming 1.5 tbsp olive oil total.

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Nutrition Facts

Cottage Pie Baked Potatoes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 686Calories from Fat 254

% Daily Value*

Fat 28.27g43%

Saturated Fat 12.705g64%

Trans Fat 0.968g

Polyunsaturated Fat 1.42g

Monounsaturated Fat 10.505g

Cholesterol 104mg35%

Sodium 622mg26%

Potassium 2240mg64%

Carbohydrates 72.87g24%

Fiber 7.4g30%

Sugar 7.15g8%

Protein 34.01g68%

Vitamin A 2175IU44%

Vitamin C 41.3mg50%

Calcium 263mg26%

Iron 4.86mg27%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.