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Cottage Pie with Puff Pastry

Source of Recipe

From "Love Welcome Serve" by Amy Nelson Hannon


Recipe Introduction

"If you took everything comforting and layered it in a casserole dish, you'd get this cottage pie. Traditionally, a cottage pie is any kind of meat topped with mashed potatoes. But this recipe goes farther: meat, veggies, a yummy sauce, cream cheese mashed potatoes, a cheese layer, and a salted puff pastry right on top. Every bite has something to love! There are lots of ingredients but not very many steps, so don't let the list intimidate you! Think of a chilly night when everything gets canceled unexpectedly, and you're tucked inside your home with this comfort meal and your people all in sweaters and socks. There's nothing better for your soul than hospitality at home."

List of Ingredients

For the mashed potatoes:
â—¦ 1 ¾ pounds petite Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
â—¦ ½ cup heavy cream, plus more if needed
â—¦ ½ cup chicken stock
â—¦ 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
â—¦ ½ (4-ounce) package cream cheese
â—¦ Ground black pepper

For the filling:
â—¦ 1 ½ pounds ground beef (80 percent lean)
â—¦ 1 medium onion, chopped
â—¦ 2 cloves garlic, chopped
â—¦ 1 cup diced carrot
â—¦ 1 cup frozen peas
â—¦ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ 2 cups good beef stock
â—¦ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
â—¦ Salt
â—¦ Ground black pepper
â—¦ 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
â—¦ ½ cup shredded white cheddar cheese
â—¦ 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed


Recipe

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover them with cold water by about 2 inches. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fork-tender and the skin is starting to come loose.

While the potatoes are boiling, combine the cream, stock, and butter in a small saucepan; warm over low heat. Drain the potatoes, return to the pot, and pour in the warmed cream mixture, stirring in the softened cream cheese. Carefully mash with a potato masher, stirring and mashing until partly chunky and partly creamy. Salt and pepper well to taste. Let stand until you prepare the beef mixture.

Set the oven to 375° F. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the onion over medium heat. Spoon out and discard about half of the fat. Add the garlic and carrots; stir until fragrant and becoming tender. Stir in the frozen peas. Shake the flour over the mixture and stir well. Stir in the beef stock; it should just cover the mixture. Stir in the tomato paste. Season generously with salt and pepper and stir well, allowing the liquid to simmer and thicken just a little. Stir in the rosemary. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Spoon the beef mixture into a deep, round casserole dish.

Remove the lid from the potatoes and mash and stir them until creamier but still a little chunky, adding more cream if needed to get them to a spreadable consistency. Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Carefully spread the mashed potatoes over the meat mixture in the casserole dish. Sprinkle the shredded white cheddar all over the top. Cover with the thawed puff pastry. Cut several slits in the pastry to vent steam. Brush the pastry with a little extra cream, and salt and pepper the top.

Bake for 20 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 400° F and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Serves 4 to 6