Traditional shepherd’s pie is made with shredded or ground lamb. Cottage pie, however, is its ground beef sister. Despite what we call it here in Jamaica, both versions are actually casseroles topped with mashed potatoes and baked until well-browned. Cottage pie is a crowd-pleaser and can be prepared ahead of time. It’s relatively inexpensive and straightforward to make, and when properly packaged and frozen, can last for up to six months.

Once baked and cooled, portion the cottage pie. This way, whether you’re feeding one or four, you don’t have to thaw the entire pie. Tightly wrap each portion in aluminium foil or plastic freezer wrap. Even if you use Tupperware containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, Butcher Block recommends wrapping first. Ensure you freeze the cottage pie on the day or the day after it has been baked. The fresher it is when frozen, the better it will taste — freezing for several months will not dilute its flavour or texture.

Defrost before reheating. Don’t yield to the temptation of popping a portion of frozen cottage pie directly into the oven. This will cause the pie to heat unevenly, resulting in cold pockets between piping hot bites. Here’s a recipe for a foolproof cottage pie that serves 10 in one go, a family for a few dinners, or a single person for months.

Cottage Pie

Ingredients:

4 lb Irish potatoes

2 ¾ lb of ground beef

3 carrots, chopped

3 celery sticks, chopped

3 sprigs of thyme, stems removed

2 onions, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 bay leaves

3 ½ cups of beef stock

1 cup of milk

4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp flour

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 ½ tablespoons butter

Freshly grated nutmeg

Your favourite Butcher Block seasonings

Salt, pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan and saute the ground beef until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the same pan, followed by onions, carrots and celery. Cook on medium heat for approximately 20 minutes.

Add garlic, flour, tomato paste and beef to the pan and turn the heat back up to high. Stir and add the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaves.

Simmer uncovered for 45 mins, or until the gravy is thick, coating each globule of ground beef. If there’s lots of gravy remaining, turn the heat to high or add a bit more flour. Season with salt, pepper and your favourite Butcher Block seasonings; discard the bay leaves. Remove from heat.

Make the mashed potatoes with Irish potatoes, milk, cheese, nutmeg, butter, salt and pepper.

Place the ground meat mixture in one large or two medium-sized oven-proof dishes. Top with mashed potatoes and extra grated cheese, if desired.

Pop the prepared pies in a preheated 400F oven for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are golden with browned bits.

Photos: Recipe Eats, Pinterest, Simply Recipes, Taste.