Cottage pie is a British meat pie with a mashed potato crust, traditionally made with leftover meat and potatoes. It is similar to shepherd’s pie, which uses lamb or mutton. Other similar dishes include Cumberland pie and Hachis Parmentier.
Cottage pie is a British meat pie made with a meat and gravy filling and a mashed potato crust. It is very similar to shepherd’s pie, which has a lamb or mutton filling with a mashed potato crust. Originally a way to use up leftover roasted meat and cooked potatoes, cottage pie is now often made from raw ingredients. The dish probably dates back to the 1700s when the use of potatoes first spread to Europe. There are many dishes from other countries that are very similar to both cottage and pie.
Typically, cottage pie is made with beef while shepherd’s pie uses lamb or mutton. The recipes are often so similar that the names are sometimes used interchangeably. The term “homemade pie” appeared first in extant written records and dates back to the late 1700s. Shepherd’s pie was first recorded in the late 1800s, although experts believe the dish is most likely older at least 100 years old.
Older, more traditional recipes using leftovers call for finely dicing the meat and using the leftover gravy to moisten it, or making a new gravy or sauce to complement it. Modern recipes usually use ground beef, called mince in Britain. Some recipes, including an 1894 recipe, include a layer of mashed potatoes in the bottom of the dish, but most recipes only specify a potato top crust.
Whether the potatoes are left over or cooked just for cottage pie, they are usually mashed with milk and butter to make them lighter. Other vegetables such as chopped carrots, onions and celery can be mixed with the meat or layered on top of it before the potato seasoning is spread. Many recipes recommend roughing the top of the potato crust, rather than spreading it evenly, so the top of the pie turns brown. Some also call for drizzling or sprinkling drops, melted butter, or beaten egg over the potatoes to further aid in the browning.
Another British meat pie, Cumberland pie, is also very similar to cottage pie. It has a meat filling with a layer of mashed potatoes on top of that, but adds a layer of mixed breadcrumbs and grated cheese on top. A North American version adds a layer of corned or creamed corn between the meat and potatoes. Hachis Parmentier, a French dish, uses minced rather than ground beef and calls for broth rather than gravy. Cheese is mixed with potatoes in French pie.
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