Pale Ale Cottage Pie
This is proper comfort food. Cottage pie with a hearty beef, bacon and pale ale gravy, cheesy melty cheddar throughout and a creamy, buttery mash crisped to golden brown to top it all off. Heaven.
Pale Ale Cottage Pie
Pale Ale Cottage Pie
Pale Ale Cottage Pie
This pale ale cottage pie recipe breaks the rules that would traditionally call for a red wine in the gravy. My twist on a family favourite calls upon flavours from another classic combination, beef ale, cheddar and bacon but in cottage form ;)
A note on mash. I like mine really buttery and borderline too much salt, like movie popcorn level. You can adjust to your liking. They say to clothe your carbs in fat to reduce a glucose spike... Well, hyperbolically speaking, this is your permission to add all the butter to your mashed potatoes as you damn well please (I kidd of course).
This dish is perfect for making in large batches and freezing. Leftovers taste even better the next day. For more hearty dishes that yeild tasty leftovers, check out my Easy chili recipe with ground beef, Ribollita and Secret ingredient spaghetti bolognese.
Absolutely. Simply substitute with more beef stock to make alcohol free.
Totally. I do this from time to time. In fact this is why I have left out any four from the gravy filling. Substitute the potatoes with cauliflower to make a cauliflower mash, or use the ‘low carb’ potatoes and opt for a 50/50 Cauliflower potato split. Just as tasty!
Probs not.
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
Heat a large pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat, fry the bacon for 3-4 minutes then add onion, celery, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes to soften. Remove from the pan.
Add the beef mince to the pan with another tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper, fry until golden brown.
Return the bacon and vegetables to the pan. Add pale ale, tomato paste, stock, passata and herbs. Mix through to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes to reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavours. Taste and season - don’t skip this!
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Add potatoes to a pot with water, add ½ tsp of salt then boil until the potatoes are fully softened (about 15 minutes) - test with a fork to ensure they’re soft. Drain and let steam escape.
Add butter, 1/2 of the milk, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to the potatoes. Mash until light and fluffy, then give them a whisk. Add remaining milk and whisk again. Taste and season.
Add beef mixture to a 32 x 24cm (12 x 9") baking dish. Grate ⅓ cup cheddar cheese over the beef mixture, then add mash potato, spooning over the beef creating little divots with the back of your spoon. Then grate ⅓ cup cheese over the mash. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until gloriously golden.
Heat a large pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat, fry the bacon for 3-4 minutes then add onion, celery, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes to soften. Remove from the pan.
Add the beef mince to the pan with another tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper, fry until golden brown.
Return the bacon and vegetables to the pan. Add pale ale, tomato paste, stock, passata and herbs. Mix through to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes to reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavours. Taste and season - don’t skip this!
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Add potatoes to a pot with water, add ½ tsp of salt then boil until the potatoes are fully softened (about 15 minutes) - test with a fork to ensure they’re soft. Drain and let steam escape.
Add butter, 1/2 of the milk, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to the potatoes. Mash until light and fluffy, then give them a whisk. Add remaining milk and whisk again. Taste and season.
Add beef mixture to a 32 x 24cm (12 x 9") baking dish. Grate ⅓ cup cheddar cheese over the beef mixture, then add mash potato, spooning over the beef creating little divots with the back of your spoon. Then grate ⅓ cup cheese over the mash. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until gloriously golden.
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Pale Ale Cottage Pie
For the filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 750g beef mince
- 200g streaky bacon, sliced into thin strips
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 carrot, finely diced
- 3 pieces of celery, finely diced
- 1 cup pale ale
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 500ml passata
- 1 cup beef bone broth or stock
- 1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 2/3 cup grated cheddar or colby cheese
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
For the mash
- 1.5 kg washed potatoes, peeled and sliced into quarters
- 50g butter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- Heat a large pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium high heat, fry the bacon for 3-4 minutes then add onion, celery, carrot and garlic for 5 minutes to soften. Remove from the pan
- Add the beef mince to the pan with another tbsp olive oil, season with salt and pepper, fry until golden brown
- Return the bacon and vegetables to the pan. Add pale ale, tomato paste, stock, passata and herbs. Mix through to combine. Simmer for 15 minutes to reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavours. Taste and season - don’t skip this!
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Add potatoes to a pot with water, add ½ tsp of salt then boil until the potatoes are fully softened (about 15 minutes) - test with a fork to ensure they’re soft. Drain and let steam escape
- Add butter, 1/2 of the milk, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to the potatoes. Mash until light and fluffy, then give them a whisk. Add remaining milk and whisk again. Taste and season
- Add beef mixture to a 32 x 24cm (12 x 9") baking dish. Grate ⅓ cup cheddar cheese over the beef mixture, then add mash potato, spooning over the beef creating little divots with the back of your spoon. Then grate ⅓ cup cheese over the mash. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until gloriously golden.