Is there anything more hearty and comforting than cottage pie? A rich, deeply flavorful beef filling, slow-simmered with aromatics, nutrient-rich broth, and fresh herbs, gets topped with the creamiest, buttery mashed potatoes and baked until perfectly golden. It’s cozy, satisfying, and somehow even better the next day.

Now, let’s clear something up — shepherd’s pie vs. cottage pie. They’re basically siblings, but the difference comes down to the protein: shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, while cottage pie is made with beef.

Make it tonight, prep it ahead (it keeps in the fridge for 2 days before baking)! Either way, you’re in for a ridiculously good dinner!

INGREDIENTS

For the Filling – 

• 2 Lbs. 1915 Farm Grassfed Ground Beef
• Kosher salt & freshly cracked pepper
• 2 Tbsp salted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, or 2-3 small, peeled and finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups 1915 Farm Grassfed Beef Bone Broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine (leftover is fine)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 thyme sprigs, leaves stripped from stems and finely minced

For the Mashed Potato Topping – 

• 2.5 Lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (up to 3/4 cup) whole milk
• 5 Tbsp salted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (or pecorino), divided

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Filling: Heat a 12-inch cast iron (or oven-safe) skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and a few large pinches of kosher salt and cook, breaking up the meat, until just cooked through, still slightly pink. Transfer ground beef to a bowl and set aside. Discard all but 1 Tbsp fat in the pan. 

To the same skillet, add butter, onion, celery, carrot, and another couple pinches of salt. Sauté until the onions are translucent and carrot is starting to soften. Sprinkle flour over and stir to combine. Cook a few moments before adding red wine. Cook down the wine slightly and then add broth, peas, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and a healthy pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine then bring to simmer and cook 5-7 minutes, until the consistency of a thick gravy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350°F

For the Mashed Potato Topping: Cover diced potatoes with cold water in a large pot so that the potatoes are covered by about 1 inch. Add 2 tbsp salt and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and turn to the pot, stirring a bit to dry them out. 

For a super smooth mashed potato, use a potato ricer and process potatoes into a large bowl containing your butter, milk, a hefty amount of salt (potatoes need salt!), and 1/2 cup parm. Stir gently to combine.

For a more rustic potato, add the melted butter, salt, milk, and 1/2 cup grated parmesan to the pot with drained potatoes and mash until creamy with a potato masher, taking care not to over mash.

Scoop mashed potatoes over the top of the beef mixture in the skillet, carefully smoothing the potatoes until they cover the beef mixture and reaches the edge of the pan. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and bake until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before diving in.

We hope you enjoy this recipe! If you’d like to share your delicious dish on Instagram, don’t forget to tag us @1915_Farm

P.S. If you love our delicious grassfed ground beef – consider subscribing to the Grassroots Meat Club (ships free in TX, reduced in other states). Each Grassroots Meat Club box includes a variety of hand-selected grassfed and pasture raised meats, such as chicken breasts, chicken tenders, leg quarters, wings, thighs, drumsticks, whole chicken, ground beef, kabobs, stew meat, stir fry, cutlets, London broil (top round), beef roasts, beef ossobuco, short ribs, various sausages, pork roasts, pork chops, bacon, ground pork, fajita meat, country style ribs, spare ribs, and bacon!

Recipe from New York Times