In the Kitchen: Budget-friendly Cottage Pie (Shepherd’s Pie)

In the Kitchen will be the category where I will post some of the recipes I cook for my family. I promise you these are super-duper easy recipes because I’m really not an expert in the kitchen plus the fact that I don’t want recipes with so many steps/how-tos. Just 4-6 instructions, anything more than that, I skip the page of my recipe book and look for simpler recipes. So newbies in the kitchen, I hope you’ll try my recipes or suggestions and let’s share kitchen secrets!

This quarantine made me more adventurous in the kitchen. We’re getting tired of rice and pasta dishes so I thought of making mashed potatoes to replace rice. I examined my freezer and saw the 1/4 kilo of ground beef that’s supposed to be for my burger patties. I suddenly remembered the Shepherd’s Pie I had in Bag of Beans Tagaytay, checked if I have all the available ingredients and voila! Cottage Pie for dinner!

When I posted about Shepherd’s Pie or Cottage Pie on the FB Page, I got wow reactions. Even my family, Jeff and Gwen, napa-wow. Ano na naman daw pumasok sa utak ko bakit nakapag-cottage pie ako hahaha.

TRIVIA: SHEPHERD’S PIE OR COTTAGE PIE

Trivia muna, we should call it Shepherd’s Pie pala if it’s made of lamb. Since my recipe uses ground beef, let’s call it Cottage Pie.

To prove that Cottage Pie is an affordable dish, noong unang panahon, eto ang pagkain ng mga mahihirap sa United Kingdom. Yung mga mahihirap sa kanila, nakatira sa “cottage”, hence the name cottage pie.

O sya, sana may napulot din kayong munting kaalaman, let’s cook!

Cottage Pie Recipe

Ingredients

FOR THE MASHED POTATO:

4 potatoes, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
milk, around 1/4 cup
butter
grated cheese
salt & pepper

FOR THE GROUND BEEF:

1/4 kilo ground beef – Php 80
1 big can of mushrooms (pieces & stems), yung 284 grams na can – Php 40
1 small can of green peas – Php 15
garlic, minced
onions, diced
1 small carrots, diced
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 tbsp. flour
salt & pepper
water, around 1/4 cup or less

INSTRUCTIONS

FOR THE MASHED POTATOES:

1. Boil the potatoes until soft. Drain the water and let the potatoes cool.
2. Mash the potatoes using a fork or a masher if you have one.
3. Add a splash of milk, butter, grated cheese, salt and pepper.

FOR THE GROUND BEEF:

1. Saute the garlic, onions, and ground beef in a pan.
2. Once the beef is cooked, add the mushrooms, carrots, and green peas.
3. Add the tomato paste and flour in the ground beef.
4. Add a small amount of water, just for it to have some sauce.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

• In a baking tray, transfer the cooked ground beef. Put the mashed potato on top and sprinkle with more grated cheese.
• Put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese melts and the top turns golden.

I included some of the prices of the ingredients, if you estimate it, this meal is just around 200 to 250 pesos that can serve 4-5 persons. It’s affordable and something new to serve to your family. Try nyo rin ha!

I share more recipes in my Facebook page, Mommy Badet, and Instagram, @badudets. Follow the hashtag, #BadudetsCooks. See you there!