Festival Recipe
Edward’s Shin Beef Cottage Pie with Cheese & Thyme Potato Topping
Recipe by Edward Hayden and Anne Neary
- Serves6
Ingredients
- A little oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 sticks celery-diced finely
- 1 carrot –peeled and cut into small dice
- ½ leek-diced
- 5oz/150g turnip-cut into small dice
- 3 prings thyme-woody stems removed
- 2lb/900g shin beef shredded (see below)
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 1 teaspoon tomato puree
- Dash Worcestershire sauce
- ½ glass red wine (optional)
- 14floz/400ml good quality beef stock
Topping:
- 8 large potatoes
- 2oz/50g butter-melted
- 1 large egg
- 1oz/25g grated cheese
- 1 teaspoon thyme leave
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5
- Heat a large pan with the oil and add the turnips, celery, thyme, onions and carrots and cook gently for 4-5 minutes until beginning to soften.
- Next add in the flour and tomato puree and stir well and then add in the red wine and beef stock together with the Worcestershire sauce and allow the mixture to come to the boil.
- Next increase the heat and add the cooked and shredded beef. Stir occasionally and Simmer for 15-20 minutes on a low heat. (If the sauce is getting too dry, feel free to add some additional stock, it depends on what consistency you like) transfer to an ovenproof dish or a series of individual dishes.
- Meanwhile, peel, boil and mash the potatoes and add the melted butter and the egg
- Using a piping bag, pipe the bag decoratively on top of the meat filling. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and thyme leaves and then cook in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
- Serve immediately Notes To make Sheppard's pie use minced lamb instead! Cooking Shin beef: Brown the shin beef on a pan and place into a large casserole dish with some vegetables to flavour (Carrot, Onion, Celery) and approximately 9floz/250ml beef stock. You could use some red wine also if you wished. Cook in one of the following ways. * Oven: Cover and cook at 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3 for 3 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. * Slow cooker: 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high. Halfway through, check the liquid level and top up with stock or water if needed. Once cooked shred with two forks and use to make what will be the most delicious cottage pie ever!
