Indian cottage pie is a great alternative to a traditional cottage pie. Made with minced beef and warming spices, its comfort food at its best.
Indian cottage pie is a favourite dish in our house, we all love it. It’s basically a keema style spiced mince dish, but with the addition of creamy smooth mashed potatoes. I love cottage pie, but as someone who loves spice, this is a step ahead. It’s a dish I want to cook on a day like today, where the sun appears to have drowned in all the rain we’ve been getting. It’s definitely a dish to cheer you up on a cold grey day!
What’s the difference between Cottage Pie & Shepherds Pie?
A question often asked is “what’s the difference between cottage pie and shepherds pie?” It’s very simple cottage pie is made with mince beef, whereas shepherds pie is made with minced lamb. We’ve used beef in this dish however it works just as well with lamb mince for those who would prefer that. There is nothing extra that requires to be added, simply substitute beef mince for lamb.
Do I need to use all the spices?
The spices in this pie work really well with the meat base. However the spices used can be easily adapted to suit your taste. If you really don’t like something then leave it our or substitute with another warming spice. I’ve added chilli powder as I like a bit of heat, but leave it out if you’d prefer a milder dish or if feeding to young children. Green cardamon is a great spice, however nobody enjoys crunching down on the seed pod. For that reason I recommend cracking the pods open and only using the seeds. It’ll save you having to hunt for the pods in the finished meat sauce.
How do I cook creamy mash potato?
It’s important that the mash potato is smooth and creamy. I like to heat up the butter and cream together until the butter has melted. I then add this to the cooked, drained potatoes and mashing to a smooth consistency. This stops you having a grainy and lumpy mash.
As with any recipe, the quality of your meat makes a huge difference, we bought our mince from Donald Russell Butchers. The spices in the meat sauce make this a rich dish, therefore we recommend serving the pie with some simple steamed vegetables.
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Some other recipes to try:
If you like this recipe then why not try our Butter Chicken Curry, our Chicken Pilaf, our Lamb & Spinach Curry, our Asian Inspired Beef Shoulder or our Lamb Curry Puffs. For another recipe with minced beef try our Spaghetti Bolognese.
Looking for inspiration for feeding the family mid week, then take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Family Dinners. Full of useful hints, tips and recipes.
Indian Cottage Pie
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 green cardamon pods - crushed, seeds only
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 large onion - chopped
- 1 large carrot - diced
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp chilli powder
- 5 cloves garlic
- 5 cm fresh ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 450 g beef mince
- 4 tomatoes - chopped or 400g tin plum tomatoes
- 100 ml beef stock
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 100 g frozen peas
- 800 g potatoes
- 50 g butter
- 50 ml double cream
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and add the seeds from the crushed cardamon pods and saute for 30 seconds. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the dry spices to the pan and cook for a further minute.
- Make a paste with the garlic, ginger and a splash of water. Add this to the pan along with the salt and cook for a minute.
- Push the vegetables to the side of the saucepan and add the minced beef. Brown the mince thoroughly, ensuring it is mixed well into the spiced vegetables.
- Add the tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce and salt, and bring to the boil, before lowering the heat and simmering gently for 30 minutes. Once cooked remove the cinnamon stick and add the frozen peas.
- Meanwhile boil the potatoes in salted water. Once cooked drain and return to the pan. Meanwhile gently heat up the butter and cream in a small saucepan. Add the butter and cream to the potatoes and mash the potatoes until smooth, check the seasoning and add to taste.
- Place the beef mixture on the bottom of an ovenproof dish. Cover with the mashed potato and cook in the oven at 180CFan for 30 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes before serving.
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