When the weather finally goes below freezing, all I want to do is cook all day by a warm stove. Saturday Alexander and I made Chicken soup, Beef & Cannellini Bean Chili, Oatmeal Scotchies and finally Cottage Pie with Mashed Sweet and Idaho Potatoes.

If you recall last March to celebrate International Day at Alexander’s school, we made Shepard’s Pie. I had found out from my friend in London that Shepard’s Pie is made only with lamb, ground or minced and Cottage Pie is made with beef.

This is the perfect comforting dish to make when the weather is cold outside to warm everyone up after a couple of hours at the playground. Not to mention a good way to get some veggies into your little ones.

Enjoy!

Avec Amour, Victoria & Alexander

Comforting British Cottage Pie

Yield – 6 Servings

1 Box (10 oz) Frozen Peas and Carrots

1 Pound Ground Beef

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

2 – 2 1/4 Cups Onions, chopped about 2 large

1 Jar (10 oz) of Sliced Mushrooms, drained

2 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour

2 1/2 Cups Beef Broth

2 Tablespoons Worchestershire Sauce

1 Tablespoon A1 Sauce

1/4 teaspoons Dried Thyme

2 Sweet Potatoes, large

2 Pounds Idaho Potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1 1/2 ” cubes

1 Tablespoon Butter

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1. Pre- heat oven to 375 degrees, pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork then wrap separately in tin foil, roast until soft about 40 – 50 minutes. Let cool in tin foil.

2. Set box of frozen peas and carrots on counter to defrost a little, in a sauce pan over medium high heat brown ground beef,

remove beef from pan and drain off excess fat, set aside.

3. Return pan to medium high heat and add olive oil, sauté onions until golden brown add mushrooms,

add flour to onions and mushrooms,

stir and cook flour mixture for a minute,

add beef broth,

stir occasionally while bringing to a boil, add Worcester and A.1. Sauces and thyme, broth should thicken a little,

return ground beef to mixture.

Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Bring water to a boil in a 4 quart sauce pan, add potatoes

and cook for about 15 minutes until fork tender, drain water, add butter, milk and salt, mash with a potato masher. Peel sweet potatoes

and mash with a fork.

5. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 2 quart oven dish with non-stick oven spray or brush with olive oil, add all of meat mixture,

on top spread a layer of peas and carrots, they should still be very cold but no longer a frozen solid block,

top with mashed sweet potatoes,

then mashed Idaho potatoes,

smooth top with back of spoon or offset spatula,

take a fork and drag thru top of potatoes to make ridges,

bake for 30 minutes then place under the broiler for 3 – 5 minutes for top to get golden brown.