There's nothing more comforting than meat and potatoes, especially when made into this delicious Cottage Pie! Swap the ground beef for a pound of ground lamb to switch things up!
Serves 4-6
For the Meat Filling:
- 1lb Foxhollow Farm ground beef OR ground lamb
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced carrot
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup unsalted beef broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 1.5 cups spinach, kale, Swiss Chard or other green, stemmed & chopped
- 2 tbs minced fresh parsley
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- ½ of a lemon
- 1 tbs olive oil
- kosher salt
- black pepper
Mashed Sweet Potatoes:
- 1.5lbs sweet potatoes, cleaned, peeled & chopped
- ¼ cup cream
- ¼ cup whole milk
- two tbs unsalted butter
- kosher salt
- black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a saute pan with tall edges over a medium flame. Add olive oil & warm before adding sirloin. Saute the beef until it is browned, breaking up with a wooden spoon into small bits. Remove to a bowl & drain off all but 1 tbs of remaining fat from the pan.
Add the carrots & the onions to the beef drippings along with ¼ tsp kosher salt. Saute until veggies begin to soften, 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic along with cumin, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, ¼ tsp kosher salt & ⅛ tsp black pepper. Mix until well blended then add beef broth & bay leaf. Stir everything together & bring to a boil. Reduce the heat & allow to simmer until the sauce has reduced & the meat has thickened, about 15 minutes.
While the beef is reducing cook the potatoes. Place the chopped sweet potatoes in a pot & cover with water. Add a generous pinch of kosher salt, add the lid & bring to a boil. Allow to cook until fork tender, approximately 12-15 minutes.
Once the beef filling has reduced, remove the bay leaf & add the greens along with 1 tbs parsley. Squeeze the juice of ½ lemon over the greens & toss to combine with the beef, allowing to wilt down before adding the peas. Toss over low heat & taste for seasoning, adding additional salt & pepper if preferred.
Transfer the beef mix to a casserole dish (9″x9″) & set aside.
Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain & place back in the pot. Add the cream, milk, butter, ¼ tsp salt & ⅛ tsp pepper. Mash until smooth & creamy & taste for seasoning, adding more salt if preferred.
Layer the potatoes over the meat filling & spread to the edges of the dish, creating an even layer. Create hash marks along the top & transfer to the oven.
Bake at 425 for 30-35 minutes, until the tops of the potatoes begin to brown. Remove from the oven & top with the remaining tbs of fresh parsley. Allow to rest for 3 minutes before serving.
Salud!